The Union Minister for Shipping, Mr G.K. Vasan, on Tuesday said Kandla port would soon begin handling 100 million tonnes a year (mtpa) of cargo.
While laying the foundation stones for new PPP projects at Kandla port's berth numbers 13,15,16 and an IFFCO jetty, he said the port would achieve this capacity after implementing the projects in hand.
He launched Rs 600-crore worth of projects during his one-day visit to the western port. He said Kandla port had major plans for road, rail connectivity and storage, besides augmenting infrastructural facilities like berths and cranes.
On this occasion, he dedicated the newly-installed mobile harbor cranes, inaugurated the Kandla port-based campus of the Indian Maritime University (IMU) and inspected the ongoing trial run of the vessel traffic management system for the Gulf of Kutch centre.
Construction of berths numbers 13, 15 and 16, for which the foundation stones were laid, are to be developed by RAS Infraport Pvt. Ltd, JRE Infra Pvt. Ltd and PSL Infrastructure & Ports Pvt. Ltd, respectively at an estimated cost of Rs. 544 crore.
These berths have a handling capacity of six mtpa. The barge jetty of IFFCO Kisan Bazar & Logistic Ltd, will also be of two mtpa with the estimated cost being Rs 27 crore.
The Rs 28.32-crore mobile harbour cranes are of 63-tonne capacity with handling capacity of 2.4 mtpa.