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The deep water port here — being operated by Kakinada Seaports Ltd — is set to touch, or cross, 10 million tonnes of cargo during the current financial year (2010-11) as it did during the last (2009-10), keeping an even keel. Last fiscal, the port handled 10.42 million tonnes. Till date, the port handled 9.3 million tonnes, according to KSPL sources.
The port handles iron ore, fertilisers, granite, coal and edible oil mainly at the four berths. “We would have crossed the 10-million-tonne mark by now, but for a shortfall in iron ore during the current financial year. During 2009-10, we handled 2.3 million tonnes of ore and during the current financial year it is only one million tonnes or so till date. In the Budget, a steep hike in export duty on iron ore has been proposed. We cannot depend on it any longer. We have to search for other cargoes,” said a spokesman.
Two more berths : The port commissioned the fourth berth during 2010 and the work on the fifth and sixth berths is progressing in accordance with schedule. It is expected that the fifth berth may be completed and commissioned during 2011 and the sixth may take a year more.
Dredging : The navigational channel to the port is of 14 metres depth. When the State Government constructed the port, it was only 10 metres.
The deep water port was handed over to the private consortium, Kakinada Seaports Ltd, more than a decade ago and dredging was taken up by KSPL to increase the depth to 14 metres and maintain it at that level.
Hope Island : Environmentalists maintain that frequent dredging in a shallow bay such as the Kakinada one is jeopardising Hope Island, a small island in the Bay, and, therefore, putting the port town to risk, as the island protects Kakinada town from the fury of natural calamities.
However, the spokesman clarified that there was no room for any such apprehensions. Dredging, he asserted, was being taken up strictly in accordance with the guidelines given by the Government and within the designed parameters.
The sand trap was being maintained and there was no reason to apprehend any damage to the island.
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