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

MPT to develop cruise terminal

MPT to develop cruise terminal
TNN

PANAJI: Mormugao Port Trust is planning a world class cruise terminal to promote cruise tourism in Goa by attracting passenger ships and foreign
naval vessels to the state. “We are in the process of developing a large noncargo berth near the port’s breakwater to handle cruise traffic,” said MPT chairman Pravin Agarwal on Tuesday.

MPT also plans to attract navy ships from countries that opt for Goa as a destination for rest and recuperation. The 235-metre-wide and 450-metre-long berth will be built on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.

“We will go for a PPP model in order to make a world class cruise terminal after creating the basic infrastructure. But we are yet to finalize on this,” he said.

Incidentally in 2005 MPT had constructed a cruise terminal but due to lack of requisite facilities failed to attract such ships. In 2008-09, MPT received 52 cruise ships with just about 20,000 passengers alighting. “Goa is a popular place, but we don’t have adequate facilities.

Also when these ships come, we dock them next to berths 11 and 12, which are the coal handling berths. The coal dust renders the port a less attractive destination for cruise vessels. Once we have regular facilities then we will come on the tourist cruise map,” he said.

The Times of India, Goa edition,23 September 2009,