VPT gets approval for Rs. 636cr port projects

The Union Shipping Ministry has given its nod for the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) to set up two projects for thermal and steam coal handling involving an investment of Rs. 313 crore and Rs. 323 crore respectively. For the projects, which would add a capacity of 16 million tons per annum to the major port, the ministry has already floated tender inviting private players to bid for the project with a construction period of 24 months and will go a long way to increase the port handling capacity of the Visakhapatnam port, said Joint Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, Rakesh Srivastava.

He said adding that currently the port has a capacity of 62.2 metric ton per annum and the government targeting the addition of 52.4 mtpa by the end of 2012.  The berths, which are being added are designed with hi-tech modern infrastructure and will have totally automated operations.  The port in question had handled 65.6 metric ton of cargo in the last fiscal and is currently operating at 110per cent capacity and has the deepest container terminal of about 14.9 mts amongst all the 13 major ports across the country, besides direct connection with the Chennai-Hawrah railway line, he claimed.