KAKINADA: Economical status of Kakinada district will be boosted, once the new port, Kakinada Gateway Port start its operations. The district already has two ports, Deepwater port and Anchorage port.The third port is being established by the Kakinada Gateway Port Limited (KGPL) with three berths at Kona village in Thondangi mandal.
The required land was acquired by Kakinada Special Economic Zone with an investment of Rs 2,600 crore. Out of 6,000 acre, 500 acre has been allocated for deep water port activities and the new port is expected to be ready in another three years. This industrial cluster is preparing to have a number of new industries including a large integrated steel plant. Pharma, Bulk drug units, Refineries, EV battery units, Solar panel units all coming up in the next three to four years.
Vizag and Gangavaram port on the same coastline are operating with full capacity utilization and there is a growing cargo overflow from these ports. To take advantage of the overflow, KGPL is being promoted and works on the new port have already commenced.Kakinada, has been actively engaged in imports and exports. The region is well connected with railway line for handing freight at the port.
Daily more than 5,000 labour and more than 1,500 boats, 200 barges are engaged in the service. On an average daily, the anchorage port gives livelihood to around 30,000 people directly and indirectly.From the anchorage port, rice, wheat, urea, gypsum, granite waste material and other material are being loaded and unloading through railway wagons. Some of the labour works on boats and barges, they are loading badges from the warehouses. The material is being transported to large capacity cargo ships.Following the development of deep water port, cargo handling increased in Kakinada.