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Vizag port may handle 60MT cargo in FY-17
Despite competition from a private major Gangavaram port next door, Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT), a premier port on the east coast line, is all set to close the current financial year 2016-17 with cargo handling of 60 million tonne (MT). It’ll be a growth of 7.89 percent over 57MT registered in 2015-16 fiscal. VPT managed to improve its performance due to revival of iron ore exports.
Visakhapatnam: Despite competition from a private major Gangavaram port next door, Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT), a premier port on the east coast line, is all set to close the current financial year 2016-17 with cargo handling of 60 million tonne (MT). It’ll be a growth of 7.89 percent over 57MT registered in 2015-16 fiscal. VPT managed to improve its performance due to revival of iron ore exports.
Speaking to The Hans India here on Monday, MT Krishnababu, chairman, Visakhapatnam Port Trust, said the handling of coal could have increased the turnover further, but we couldn’t achieve. This is because of the restrictions imposed by the government.
The chairman said: “The Port has already invested Rs 2,500 crore in end to end modernization of mechanization and other infrastructure. The port will witness more growth in the near future as it’s taking up huge modernization programme at an investment of Rs 600 crore. The port will have six most modern berths having 14.5 meter draft.”
“Incidentally, Visakhapatnam Port is the deepest port in the country having 18meter draft in the outer harbor, which can accommodate supermax vessel that can carry 2.55 lakh tones of cargo,” the chairman said.
The Visakhapatnam Port Trust attributes the growth to revival of iron ore export to Japan and South Korea, which stopped last year due to expiry of long-term lease. National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) renewed the lease for 15 years with these two countries this year and VPT exported three million tonne of ore to these two countries during the current financial year.
Krishnababu further said: “The export of ore will be five million tonne in the next financial year. The Coal India Limited has propelled its growth and government has been insisting the public sector thermal power stations to use local coal. The government has also imposed minimum import price on the coal. There was also decrease in the import of coking coal as steel mills all over the country have been registering negative growth.”
The VPT emerged as the leading port in 2007 and continued to remain at the top position for five consecutive years, but subsequently lost to Kandla port in Gujarat and Paradeep Port in Odisha.
Kandla Port achieved a turnover of 100 million tonne last year and Paradeep 75 million tonne. Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and Mumbai Port Trust and Visakhapatnam Port Trust share the same position after Kandla and Paradeep with a marginal difference of a million or half-a-million tonne.
Of the 100 million tonne, Kandla handled 70 million tonne of crude oil and finished oil alone and 30 million tonne of dry cargo. Similarly, out 75 million tonne, Paradeep Port handled 35 million tonne of crude and finished oil.
By:KMP Patnaik
