IPA to advise Ennore port on deepening of draft.

Kamarajar Port at Ennore has appointed the Indian Ports Association (IPA) as a consultant in its project to deepen the port, including berths, to an 18-metre draft so that it can handle large ships.

'We could be first port to take this step,' MA Bhaskarachar, Chairman and Managing Director, Kamarajar Port Ltd., told BusinessLine.

Deepening of the port is one of the major initiatives the new government has put in place, he said. Based on the IPA’s recommendation, the port will call for ‘expressions of interest' from companies for the dredging project, he said.

The port's two coal wharves can accommodate Panamax size vessels of 280m length each at a depth of 15m, alongside an approach channel and port basin of 16m and 15.5m respectively. This will be deepened to 18m, he said.

The project to dredge to 18m depth will cost around Rs. 400 crore. It will be completed in three years, after which the port can handle Suezmax vessels (large ships of 160,000-tonne capacity that can transit Suez Canal in a laden condition). Both the Chettinad group, which handles coal at the port and the Adani group, which will handle containers, have agreed on the project to deepen their berths, he said.



HBL