Kakinada Port to build 6 jetties

Kakinada Port is making efforts to increase cargo handling capacity both at the anchorage and Kakinada Deep Water Port (KDWP) by constructing new jetties and berths.

The port has also launched dredging operations in view of its increasing importance. The anchorage port has constructed four new jetties at a cost of Rs 1.50 crore taking their number to 19. With this, cargo handling capacity has increased to 35 lakh tonne from the earlier 18 lakh tonne.

Six more jetties are proposed to be constructed at a cost of Rs 2 crore in the coming financial year, according to N Sridhar, director of ports, Andhra Pradesh.

He told Business Standard that the revenue of the port tripled in the past two years. He also expressed the hope that cargo handling revenue of the anchorage port would touch the Rs 15-crore mark by the end of this financial year. Sridhar said that there were plans to anchor long ships to facilitate hassle-free cargo handling.

Meanwhile, the Kakinada Sea Ports Limited (KSPL) has finalised the tender for the proposed fourth berth at the deep water port. Navayuga Engineering Company has bagged the contract. KDWP has achieved 85 percent occupancy rate.

KSPL is spending Rs 230 crore on construction of the berth, off shore vessel complex (OSV) and other facilities in the deep water port.

"The construction of the berth will be completed by November 2007 and it will be operational by January 2008,'' said Sridhar. While ships with a length of 200 meters can anchor at the present three berths, the upcoming one will have the space for anchoring ships having a length of 300 meters.

KSPL has also taken up dredging operations at the port to increase the depth from 11.5 meters to 14 meters to facilitate anchoring long ships.

While the anchorage port is run by the state government, the deep water port is managed by KSPL.

Traditional cargo like rice, cement, maize etc are handled at the anchorage port, while liquid and hard cargo are handled at KDWP.