Shipping ministry to increase port capacity

The government plans to add projects worth Rs 24,959 cr and augment capacity to 2,493.10 million tonnes per annum

The Ministry of Shipping is planning to increase port capacity by the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan to 2,493.10 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), with major ports (owned by the Union government under the shipping ministry) accounting for about 50 per cent of this capacity.

The ministry made the statements in a year-end review report for 2013. In it, the ministry said that the capacity of Indian ports was 1,245.30 mtpa at the end of the 11th Plan period and the target was to increase it to 2,493.10 mtpa by the end of the 12th Plan.

In 2013-14, the ministry said, 30 projects had been targeted for award involving an additional capacity of 282 mtpa, with an investment of Rs 24,959 crore. As on September 30, 13 of these projects had already been awarded, entailing an investment of Rs 3,831.30 crore and an additional capacity of 80.85 mtpa.

During the financial year, the ministry said it had been focusing on new capacity augmentation and mechanisation projects apart from capital dredging ones.

To achieve the 12th Plan targets for capacity augmentation, the work on two new major ports, one at Sagar Island in West Bengal and the other at Durgarajpatnam in Andhra Pradesh are in progress. These two ports would add an additional capacity of around 100 MTPA, said the ministry.

On inland water transport sector, which is being regulated by it, the ministry said the sector would be given a special thrust during the 12th Plan.

So far, five waterways have been declared National Waterways.

In addition, a stretch of the Barak river from Lakhipur in Manipur to Bhanga in Assam (121 km) is proposed to be declared as the sixth national waterway.

In November, 2013, transportation of three MTPA of imported coal for seven years from Haldia (Sandheads) to NTPC’s power plant at Farakka through National Waterway - 1 commenced.