Visakhapatnam port looks forward to a bright year in 2014-15, as several development projects are on the verge of completion, and the port expects to handle not less than 65 million tonnes of cargo during the year, according to Deputy Chairman G.V.L Satya Kumar.
He was reviewing the performance of the port during 2013-14 at a media conference here on Monday. He said the port had handled 58.50 million tonnes of cargo during the year, a little less than during the previous year. "Several projects in the PPP mode are in execution in the port and to an extent cargo-handling has been affected. Many of them will be completed during the current year. The dredging in the outer harbour has been completed to the extent of 95 per cent and in the inner harbour up to 46 per cent or so. The dredging projects costing Rs 415 crore will be completed in a few months' time and they will add to the capacity of the port to handle bigger ships. Recently, we handled a cape size vessel in the outer harbour," he said.
He said the port was fully geared to meet competition from the neighbouring private ports as well as other major ports. The iron ore handling complex was being modernised and the container terminal extended. "We have added 15 million tonnes of capacity during 2013-14, taking the capacity of the port now to 82.5 MTPA. An operating surplus of Rs 261 crore was achieved during the year and Rs 268 crore was spent during the year on projects. During the current fiscal, we will spend Rs 374 crore," he said.
Satya Kumar asserted that "Visakhapatnam port is the cheapest and the most efficient". He said two 50-tonne bollard pull tugs were commissioned in the port during the year. The rail evacuation system was also one of the best in the country and during the year 32.80 million tonnes was moved by the railways.
In response to a question on Dugarajapatnam major port project in Nellore district, in which Visakhapatnam port is the lead partner, he said land acquisition process was going on and several clearances had to be obtained. In the initial phase, the major port to be built in the public sector would require 850 acres of land and ultimately 4,500 acres. A special purpose vehicle was being floated for executing the project.