The Visakhapatnam port has received three coal unloaders. The unloaders that arrived this week are to be assembled and used at the general cargo berth in the outer harbour as a part of upgrading the facilities there to handle coal, according to a press release.
The project of mechanisation and upgrading of the facilities at the general cargo berth in the outer harbour was awarded to a Sterlite-led consortium on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer basis. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 443 crore and it is designed to handle 10.18 million tonnes of coal a year.
The project will greatly reduce the coal dust pollution at the general cargo berth and also cut the turnaround time for the vessels. Further, larger vessels of 2,00,000 DWT (dead weight tonnage) can be handled at the GCB. The concession period is 30 years from October 2010. A special purpose vehicle — Vizag General Cargo Berth Pvt Ltd — has been formed for executing the project.
Each unloader has a capacity of 2,500 tonnes an hour. The project also envisages construction of storage space for imported coal besides rapid railway wagon loading system.