Dhamra Port to invest additional Rs 7,000 cr

The Dhamra Port Company, slated to start trial operations, will be investing an additional Rs 7,000 crore in scaling up capacity.

The 50:50 joint venture between Tata Steel and L&T will start trial operations this month with a cargo carrying capacity of 21 million tonnes. “Full capacity would be 85 million tonnes, which will be achieved over the next five years,” Dhamra Port Company chief executive officer, Santosh Mahapatra.

The investment till date is around Rs 3,000 crore. “Eighty-five million tonnes can be scaled up to 100 million tonnes,” Mahapatra said.

According to the port master plan, 13 berths would be handling the full capacity. To scale up operations, however, additional 800 acres would be required.

In the first phase, two berths would be handling a capacity of 21 million tonnes, which again can be scaled to 27 million tonnes.

While the port, one of the largest in the private sector, would start off with dry bulk cargo, it would eventually include liquid, as well.