Anticipating the growth in cargo in the coming years, the New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) is on course to create more facilities. In this regard, the port has planned construction of more berths, including two berths for captive users.

Traditionally New Mangalore is a bulk handling port with liquid bulk constituting a major share of the cargo. In the recent past, iron ore cargo has been adding significantly to the port's traffic. Container cargo is on the rise nowadays.

The Indian Port Association’s ‘Coordination of business plans for major ports in India’, prepared by Port of Rotterdam Authority, forecasts that New Mangalore Port is likely to handle 52.17 million tonnes of cargo by 2011-12 and 84.14 million tonnes by 2025-26.

Another thing to be noted here is that the hinterland of the port is witnessing rapid growth with some of the major industrial units planning their base in the region.

This forecast will be a reality if the port possesses adequate infrastructure to handle the estimated growth.

At present, the port has 14 berths. The four berths proposed for development are planned in the western dock of the port. While three are in various stages of planning, one is in construction stage.

Of the four berths planned, work has begun for a captive berth for Udupi Power Corporation Ltd and is likely to be over by December 2009.

The company will handle a dedicated cargo of three million tonnes per annum through a mechanised system. The promoter of the project is constructing the berth.

Project cargo is another entry in New Mangalore Port in recent months. Suzlon Infrastructure Ltd, which is setting up a hi-tech special economic zone at Padubidri near Mangalore, is using the facilities of the port for import and export of manufactured and fabricated project cargo. The company is likely to build a captive berth for handling import and export cargo. It has been given the in-principle approval for it.

Container traffic up

With container cargo witnessing good growth in the last three years, the port is also looking at providing additional infrastructure.

In this regard, NMPT recently invited an expression of interest (EoI) to develop a container terminal in the western dock arm. The proposed berth will have a depth of 15.1 metres and the length will be in the range of around 300 metres. The area for storage yard will be in the 80,000 sq.m- 1.2 lakh sq.m range.

Mr P. Tamilvanan, Chairman of NMPT, told Business Line that container traffic has recorded a significant growth in the past three years. The port, which handled 9,646 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers in 2005-06, handled 21,460 TEUs in 2007-08.

He attributed the growth in container cargo to measures such as more facilities and better marketing. As a first step, the arrival of feeder vessels was scheduled for the particular day of the week. This helped in attracting more containers to the port.

As the containers started coming, the number of feeder vessels calling at the port also increased. The port has now established direct links to East and West African countries through mainline container vessels, he said.

Added to this, the port has gone for an open tender for container freight station (CFS) at Baikampady adjacent to the port. He said the CFS is likely to be operational on an area of 20,000 sq.m in the next six months.

Considering the demand for the deep-draught multipurpose berth at berth number 14, NMPT is now contemplating developing another multipurpose berth at the western dock arm.

Mr Tamilvanan said the occupancy level of berth no. 14 is nearly 90 per cent, and more than five million tonnes of cargo was handled in that berth.

There are plans to develop another deep-draught multipurpose berth at the port. Apart from these new berths, the port is planning to convert Berth no. 13 into an oil berth. Mr Tamilvanan said a detailed feasibility report is being done for this. Work on the berth is likely to begin in another three months.

Date : 15/09/2008

Courtesy : Businessline