Port Pipavav to invest Rs 260 cr for dredging

Gujarat Pipavav Port (GPPL), in an announcement pledged an additional investment of Rs 260 crore for dredging purposes at Port Pipaavav, the multi-purpose all weather port located near Bhavnagar district in Gujarat. Dredging funds are for 14.5 meter draft which will improve the accessibility to the port.

The company has tied up with Singapore-based Zinkcon Marine, a subsidiary of Royal Boskalis Westminster, which has dredging and earth moving as its core business. The capital dredging work at Pipavav will increase the acceptance of draught from 12.5 meters to 14.5 metres. The dredging is scheduled to be completed by mid- 2009.

 

A deeper draft at Pipavav will offer a safe port for the ever larger container vessels that cannot call at major ports in India. Port Pipavav has of late become a preferred gateway to New Delhi and other markets in north-western India, that allows shippers an alternative to the traditional routing via the congested infrastructure around Mumbai.

Currently, the port has a dedicated 735 meters of quay length for handling containers along with a dedicated 325 meters of quay length for handling bulk and break-bulk cargo. It is India’s first private sector port, and is promoted by APM Terminals, which is also the leading shareholder.