MPT to get new mechanized berth soon

MPT to get new mechanized berth soon
TNN

PANAJI: Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) expects to increase its coal handling capacity to nearly 11 million tonnes per annum once the mechanized coal
handling terminal develops at berth No. 7.

With indications that coal traffic through Mormugao port will increase, MPT, on Tuesday, signed the concession agreement with Adani Mormugao Port Terminal Limited, a newly incorporated special purpose vehicle to develop MPT's mechanized coal handling terminal at the 100 metre-long berth No. 7. The berth is currently being utilized for shipment of coastal cargo handled through barges.

"Indications are that coal traffic through Mormugao port will increase as the coal requirement of the region is expected to increase substantially. There will be a huge requirement of imported coal to be used in power plants. Already we have received inquiries from industries planning to set up mega thermal power plants on the west coast and hinterland regions of the country," said MPT chairman Praveen Agarwal.

The agreement would help the port facilitate supply of coal to mega thermal plants coming up along the western coast, especially the one in Kudagi, near Bijapur in Karnataka and another plant in the Sindhudurg region of Maharashtra. Coal is currently imported from South Africa, Indonesia and Australia.

At MPT, coal is handled at berths No. 5 and 6, which are multipurpose bulk cargo terminals which are already mechanized. The handling capacity of both the terminalsis five million tonnes per annum. Besides, over one million tonnes per annum of coal is manually handled at berths No. 10 and 11.

"With manual coal handling, MPT is able to handle only 8,000 to 10,000 tonnes as against 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes which can be handled through mechanized handling. Also there is the problem of coal pollution due to manual handling of coal at these berths which continues to be a source of serious concern for the citizens of Vasco", said Agarwal.

The construction of the new mechanized coal handling terminal is expected to start in 2010 and will be completed and commissioned for commercial operation by March 2013. The estimated project cost is Rs 252 crore. "More than 50% of the country's imports are energy resources (coal, petrol, etc). The coal terminal is being constructed to meet the country's increasing requirement of energy resources," said Rajeev Sinha, director, Adani Mormugao Port Terminal Pvt Ltd. India imports 40 to 45 million tonnes of coal per annum. This is expected to touch 100 million tonnes per annum by 2012-13.

The mechanized coal handling terminal will have a new 300 metre-long berth, in line with berths No. 6 and 8. This terminal will be fully mechanized with a capacityto handle 5 to 7 million tonnes of coal per annum. MPT will get a share revenue of 20% per annum.

23 September 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition