VISAKHAPATNAM: Capacity of Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) has been doubled from 67 MMTPA in 2014 to 127 MMTPA in 2019 following completion of modernisation of the port, according to VPT Chairperson MT Krishna Babu.
Speaking to mediapersons on Thursday, Krishna Babu said the port was poised to achieve 145 MMTPA capacity in the next two years and it achieved a surplus of `546 crore in 2018-19 against `522 crore in 2017-18. The VPT could successfully overcome challenges from private ports in the region, he added.
He said the port recorded 65.30 MT of cargo handled during the year 2018-19 registering 5 per cent growth. He said the port continued on growth trajectory for the third year from 2015-16. He said VPT ranked second on the East coast in terms of traffic handled.
He said the port also registered reasonable improvement in efficiency parameters. Average waiting time of vessel improved to 1.29 hours from 2.37 hours recorded in 2018-19. He said as a part of modernisation, capacity addition projects were taken up with an investment of `3,171 crore and of them 11 projects were completed and four were progressing.
He said the port has invited expressions of interest (EOIs) for establishing a floating storage re-gasification unit in the outer harbour and initiated proposal for providing end-to-end logistic services to TANGEDCO for movement of coal from mine heads of MCL/Ib valley to power plants. It also initiated proposal for providing integrated logistics service to National Mineral Development Corporation for movement of coal to Nagamar Steel Plant. He said improvement in inner harbour draft from 11 metre to 14.5 metre was a turning point in the history of the port. Referring to cruise tourism, the Chairperson said the VPT has taken up construction of cruise cum costal cargo berth at an estimated cost of `77 crore with 50 per cent support under the Assistance to Central agencies for tourism infrastructure development. He said an open tender has been called and the project is expected to be completed in one-and-a-half years.
He said additional storage facilities, rail and road connectivity and mechanisation were taken up by investing around `1,200 crore. He said the VPT was the first port, which has been using 100 per cent solar energy and commissioned a 10 MW utility scale solar photovoltaic power plant at a cost of `60 crore.
He said the port has laid special emphasis on containing environmental pollution and its multi-pronged approach yielded significant improvement in this regard. The port was declared as the second cleanest port for three years in succession by the Quality Council of India, he said.
He said as part of Sagaramala Project widening of roads was taken up to help speedy evacuation of cargo and facilitate hassle-free travel for citizens in the port area. He said the VPT was running two free health clinics in one town area and was planning to open one more clinic. Medicines were being distributed free of cost, he said.
The Chairperson inaugurated the renovated VPT guest house at Harbour Park.