The Hindu Business Line : Mumbai Port to share channel dredging cost with JNPT

MUMBAI: To cope with the bulging container traffic on the 22.5-km-long main harbour channel shared by both the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), MbPT will be sharing the channel deepening costs with JNPT.

"We are still discussing the modalities with the MbPT. However, they have agreed in principle to share one-eighth of the cost of the channel deepening project," JNPT Chairman Ravi B Budhiraja told PTI here.

First phase of the channel dredging would cost Rs 800 crore. The MbPT would contribute Rs 100 crore.

"The contribution is in proportion to the traffic we are likely to handle. They will handle about one million TEUs (containers) at their offshore terminal. While we will handle around seven million TEUs once our fourth container terminal comes up. So the y are sharing the cost at 1:7 ratio," Mr Budhiraja said.

He said while MbPT would contribute Rs 100 crore from its resources, JNPT would contribute partially from its resources and the balance would be raised from the market.

The Tenth Five Year Plan target for traffic-handling at JNPT is over 13 lakh tonnes for 2006-2007. But the Mumbai harbour channel has a depth of around 11 metres below chart datum (BCD), and the 7.2-km-long Jawaharlal Nehru Port channel has around the sa me depth. - PTI

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