NMPT plans to increase cargo handling capacity

Mangalore: New Mangalore Port (NMPT), which has capacity to handle 43.50 million tonnes of cargo, is planning to increase it to 66 million tonnes by the end of the 2011-12.

Addressing members of the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on ‘Issues and concerns of New Mangalore Port’, Mr P. Tamilvanan, Chairman of New Mangalore Port Trust, said there were plans to construct an oil jetty, and a dedicated berth for thermal coal, among others.

The deep-draught berth no. 14 has been witnessing good occupancy. The berth handled 5.56 million tonnes of cargo in 2007-08. There are plans to construct another deep-draught berth at the port.

Stating that the port has been witnessing growth in cargo handling in the recent past, he said it handled 36 million tonnes of cargo during 2007-08 as against 32 million tonnes in 2006-07.

In cargo handling till November in the current financial year, the port achieved a growth of 8.24 per cent in iron ore handling, 39.80 per cent in coal handling, 61.83 per cent in limestone, 20.25 per cent in fertiliser, 47.90 per cent in cement handling, and 49 per cent in container handling. In fact, the port surpassed the overall container cargo handling of the last fiscal in November itself, he said.

The railway-bound traffic, which was 5 lakh tonnes in 2006-07, increased to 61.25 lakh tonnes in 2007-08. He attributed this to the facilities at the railway marshalling yard of the port and better rail connectivity with the hinterland of the port.

Mr Srinivas S. Kamath, President of KCCI, spoke on the port’s development.