Kakinada port draws up Rs 70-crore spend

Kakinada Seaports Limited (KSL), a special purpose company of International Seaport Pte Limited (Singapore), which is a joint venture between Larson & Toubro Limited, Precious Shipping Public Company and SSA Asia Inc (a Washington corporation), is planning to invest Rs 70 crores on additional infrastructure facilities in the port to attract more cargo

"Recently cement clinker cargo has started arriving at Kakinada deepwater port for exports. We expect some more new cargo like iron ore, timber logs to this port. To handle these new cargo, there is a need for additional infrastructure facilities like deepening of channel, construction of railway sidings, construction of new berths and other facilities," S V Raman Rao, the chief administrative officer, KSL, told Business Standard.

KSL at present has only three berths. It has proposed four more berths in the future. In the wake of current demand, the port is planning to construct one berth, and the works are likely to be taken up during the next fiscal at a cost of Rs 40 crore, he said.

"We want to take up the maintenance & capital dredging works including deepening of approach channel by another 2.5 meters with an investment of Rs.25 crores", he disclosed.

Dredging works will start very soon, and once this deepening of channel works is completed, the port can allow up to 60,000 DWT (Dead Weight Tonnage) Pana max vessels into the port. KSL is anticipating nearly 70 per cent growth in cargo handling during this fiscal compared to last year.