Vizag port hopes to achieve cargo handling target

Visakhapatnam: The Visakhapatnam port has handled 52 million tonnes of cargo till date during the current financial year and is confident of achieving the target of 65 million tonnes set by the ministry, according to Mr Ajeya Kallam, the Chairman.

He was addressing employees on Republic Day after hoisting the national flag. He said the port had handled a record 10.66 lakh tonnes of coking coal during May and set several records during the year in handling rock phosphate, DAP, iron ore a nd pellets, and blast furnace slag.

It had bagged the National Safety Award (gold) in 2008 for outstanding performance on the industrial safety front during 2006 and had also won Green Tech Silver Award – 2008 for safety management.

The port had taken up several projects to meet its future requirements and to face competition from other ports. The channel to the inner harbour was being deepened to cater to 12.5 metre draft vessels and subsequently to 14 m vessels. The project for the upgradation of the facilities at the outer harbour to handle 2 lakh DWT vessels was in progress at a cost of Rs 185 crore. For mechanised coal-handling facilities at the outer harbour, the port had taken up a project at an estimated cost of Rs 414 crore. In all, projects worth Rs 3,000 crore were in progress in the port, he added.