Major port Kandla bets big on container, liquid cargo business

AHMEDABAD: In a bid to ease pressure on its existing berths, the Kandla Port Trust (KPT) has set the ball rolling to increase its dry and liquid cargo handling capacity.
KPT has chalked out a plan to set up a multipurpose cargo terminal and a mega container terminal at Tuna Tekra, where Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) already operates a bulk terminal.As part of its capacity expansion drive, KPT plans to establish multipurpose cargo handling terminal with a capacity to handle 18 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) involving an estimated capital cost of Rs 1,400 crore.
KPT has already approached the Ministry of Environment and Forests for its approval. "The terminal will be developed as part of the second-phase development of Tuna Tekra," said a senior KPT official. Plans are also afoot to develop a mega container terminal, the official added.
In the first stage, APSEZ-led consortium had won the contract in June 2012 to set up a bulk terminal at Tuna. The terminal with a capacity of 20 MMTPA was commissioned in February 2015.
"Kandla Port Trust has proposed to develop new oil Jetty at old Kandla, multipurpose cargo terminal at Tuna Tekra (Stage II) and few other projects for strengthening and upgrading existing facilities at Kandla Port," states the environment assessment report filed with MoEF.
KPT chairman Ravi Parmar told TOI, "We want to increase our footprint in container handling. We are now looking to develop another mega container terminal at Tuna-Tekra and handle at least 0.6 million TEUs in the future. The container terminal will require an investment of Rs 2,200 crore."
Parmar said that KPT is also looking at augmenting its liquid cargo handling capacity in a big way. "We will be constructing three more oil jetties considering that the demand is increasing every year. At present, we handle 12 million tonnes at the exisiting three jetties. We are looking at additional capacity of 7-8 million tonnes per year." An oil jetty having handling capacity of 3.39 MMTPA in Old Kandla has also been planned with an investment of Rs 276.53 crore.
KPT has also auctioned around 15 plots to create additional storage capacity for 0.5 million tonnes and the construction of tank farms has also started.
The second terminal will also be developed through the public private partnership (PPP) route. Post environment clearance, KPT will go for competitive bidding to develop the project.
With 100.05 MMTPA, Kandla clocked the highest cargo handling among all the 12 major ports of India in 2015-16.