The construction works of Machilipatnam port in Andhra Pradesh are progressing at ‘brisk’ pace according to a senior official of Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board (APMB). “The construction of Ramayapatnam port in Prakasam district is also progressing well. We hope to bring a first ship to the port by the end of this year to test operational feasibility,’” Ravindranath Reddy, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, APMB said.
Andhra Pradesh has the second longest coastline in the country with a length of 974 km with a major port in Visakhapatnam and 15 other notified State ports spread in eight coastal districts.
“Breakwater construction work is now in progress at Machilipatnam and all things are in place to ensure completion of the port construction as per the deadline,’‘ Reddy told BusinessLine.
The Greenfield port at Manginapudi is coming up in about 1,145 acres with a draft of 14.5 metres and is designed to handle vessels weighing around 60,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) in the initial phase. The port is developed by a special purpose vehicle — Machilipatnam Port Development Corporation Limited and Power Finance Corporation approved a loan of ₹4,500 crore for the project.
Push to logistics
“It will make a positive difference to logistics in Andhra Pradesh as Machilipatnam port is considered ideal for export and import of tobacco, granite and other natural stones, pharma and agricultural products, besides helping eastern shore activities of ONGC,’‘ Reddy said.
Reddy said, “We hope to bring a first ship to the port by the end of this year to test operational feasibility.’‘
The foundation stone was laid by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in September 2023 and and the construction work met all internal deadlines so far, the official said.
More investments
According to Reddy, the State government has lined up significant investments in port development. “The three upcoming government ports at Ramayapatnam, Machilipatnam and Mulapadu, along with a private SEZ port to come up at Kakinada involves an investment of over ₹16,000 crore. The positive impact of these investments will be visible in the logistics sector over next two to three years,’” Reddy added.
Apart from the ports, nine state-of-the-art fishing harbours are being developed across the State including Uppada, Visakhapatnam, Odarevu, Kothapatnam. These are not ordinary fishing jetties but are highly advanced costing ₹350 crore each. “The fishing harbour at Juvvaladinne is likely to be inaugurated over next three-four months,’’ the APMB official said.