The response of the public to the proposal of the Visakhapatnam port trust to reconstruct two aged oil berths was quite positive here on Tuesday at a public hearing conducted in the port by the AP Pollution Control Board.
Port Chairman MT Krishnababu in his opening remarks said the two existing oil berths - OR 1 and OR 2 - were constructed in 1957 and "they have outlived their life (fixed at 50 years) and therefore they will be demolished and two new berths reconstructed in two phases. The present total capacity of the two berths is 3.28 million tonnes per annum and the combined capacity of the two new berths will be 9.81 MTPA. The cost of the project is estimated at Rs 193 crores."
He said the two berths in the inner harbour were at present handling naphtha, MS, SRO, HSD, LSHS and other POL (petroleum, oil and lubricants ) products.
A representative of the Ultra-Tech Consulting Agency, which prepared the environment assessment impact report, said there would not be any significant pollution in the demolition and reconstruction of the berths and all precautions would be taken to mitigate whatever little pollution the process may cause. The port was ready with oil spill contingency plans also in the operation of the new berths.
The project would have no adverse impact on the fishing activity at the port, he added.
K.V Krishna Kumar, the president of the Visakhapatnam Stevedores' Association, G. Sambasiva Rao, the Managing Director of Sravan Shipping, R. Kishore, the CEO of Visakhapatnam Seaports Limited, and several others spoke of the project in a positive manner.