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K.V. Kurmanath

Hyderabad, July 28

After Krishnapatnam port, it is the turn of the Gangavaram port near Visakhapatnam to begin commercial operations.

The phase-1 of the project would go on stream with five berths with an annual capacity of 35 million tonnes .

Of the five berths, three would be handling general cargo and one each for iron ore and coal.

This would be the second port after Krishnapatnam that could handle mother ships, giving a boost to the East Coast’s shipping strengths. The greenfield Gangavaram port was to start commercial operations well ahead of Krishnapatnam port.

But issues such as rehabilitation and weather have pushed it back.

The multi-purpose port that could handle ships of two lakh dwt (dead weight tonnes) is being taken up in a public-private partnership mode.

While Mr D.V.S. Raju (who founded VisualSoft) and others held 64 per cent, Warberg Pincus, the global private equity investment firm had 25 per cent, the Andhra Pradesh Government picked 11 per cent, a senior Government official told Business Line.

The Rs 2,600-crore phase-2, work for which work had begun simultaneously, would have nine berths more, giving the port a capacity of 75 mt.

The port, then, would go for the major expansion of 29 berths with an estimated investment of Rs 10,000 crore, giving a capacity of 200 mt.

The company had already pumped in Rs 1,500 crore by May 31, on the first phase.

The master plan, which provides for facilities for ship building and repair works, has scope for development of port-related facilities in an extent of 2,800 acres, the official said.

The port would have an exclusive railway line connecting with the Chennai-Howrah line.

Besides, it would have a dedicated four-lane expressway to give connectivity to the Chennai-Kolkata National Highway.

The port would employ mechanised cargo handling to ensure faster ferrying of the cargo.

More Stories on : Shipping | Andhra Pradesh

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