Mumbai Port gets its second chemical berth

The government on Thursday said Mumbai Port has got its second chemical berth which has been built at a cost of Rs.130 crore.

The second chemical berth of Mumbai Port was inaugurated by Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari at Pir Pau on Wednesday.

"This berth is situated about 3.2 km away from the shore in deep waters close to the main harbour channel," the ministry said in a release.

"This berth is laced with modern handling facilities with separate loading arms for LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and other chemicals."

According to the Ministry of Shipping, the new berth has faster discharge rates and is equipped with latest safety standards like modern fire-fighting equipment.

"The cargo at this berth can be evacuated through pipelines to the storage areas at shore," the statement elaborated.

"The new chemical berth has a draft of 12.80 meters and can handle large ships. It will add a capacity of 2.5 million tonnes to the already existing capacity of 2 million tonnes at Mumbai Port."

Currently, Mumbai Port handles over 11 percent of the total seaborne trade of India, which includes 19 percent of the total chemical cargo of the country.