The Hindu Business Line : Vizag port handles 51.7 million tonnes

The Visakhapatnam port has handled 51.7 million tonnes of cargo till date, registering a growth of 15 per cent over the throughput recorded during the corresponding period last year.

This makes Vizag the Number One port again, for the eighth time in succession, though Kandla is very close on its heels, according to Mr K. Ratna Kishore, the Chairman, Visakhapatnam port.

At the Republic Day function here, he said during April-December in the current fiscal, the major ports in the country had posted 13 per cent growth and by the end of the financial year the total cargo in all the ports may touch 520 million tonnes.

Record handling

He said Vizag port had set a national record by handling 5.83 million tonnes in October 2007, surpassing the previous best of 5.69 million tonnes set by Kandla port in May 2007.

Vizag port had registered growth in all cargoes — iron ore, thermal coal, coking coal, fertilisers and containers, he said.

He said, “We are handling Panamax vessels with 10.7 metres.

From March, the inner harbour can cater to 11-metre draft vessels. We have plans to deepen the harbour further to handle 12.5-metre draft vessels.”

Two more berths

He said the port had received approval from the Union Ministry of Shipping to upgrade the outer harbour so that it would be able to handle 2,00,000 DWT vessels at a cost of Rs 185 crore.

Apart from that, a project was under way at the general cargo berth in the outer harbour to set up integrated mechanised unloading and stacking facilities at a cost of Rs 292 crore on BOT basis.

The construction of two more berths in the inner harbour would also be taken up in the inner harbour.

Competition

During the current financial year, the huge LPG cavern, with a capacity of storing 60,000 tonnes, had been inaugurated at the port.

This was a joint venture between the HPCL and Total, a French company, and was set up at a total cost of Rs 333 crore.

Mr Kishore said the Gangavaram port was likely to be commissioned in March/April this year and the Vizag port would then have to gear up for competition with the private sector port.

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