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Mormugao Port Trust, Goa

Our Correspondent

Though ore continues to be its predominant cargo, there has been a steady increase in liquid bulk and general cargo traffic at the south Goa-based Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) ever since it joined the ranks of the major ports in the country.

MPT is the premier iron ore exporting port of India; its annual throughput for the year ended 2007-08 was 27.33 million tonnes. The port accounts for about 78 per cent of India’s iron ore exports. Since 1992, there has been a regular container feeder service from the port and the container traffic has registered a rapid growth within a short span of time and currently handles about 14,000 TEUs a year.

The port is also trying to emerge as a cruise destination with 38 cruise vessels having called at the port with close to 13,000 passengers. The port is in the process of working out an economically-viable cruise terminal facility for the future. “Good facilities, high productivity, streamlined administration and a dedicated workforce — all go towards making this one of the most efficient ports in India,” a spokesman said.

With the saturation of Mumbai and Nhava Sheva ports, Mormugao Port, commanding a strategic position on the coastline of the region, is poised to become a major transit point for trade goods originating from or destined for Central and North Central India. The port has drawn up plans to expand its infrastructure such as deepening of the navigational channel, augmentation of capacity at its mechanical ore handling plant, construction of additional berths, etc., which envisage huge investments. The traffic handled at the Mooring dolphins has also increased considerably; construction of three additional Mooring dolphins are underway. On completion, the port will be able to handle an additional cargo of 2.5 million tonnes a year.

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