Dharthi bags Rs 24cr Vizag port order

Hyderabad-based Dharthi Dredging Company has bagged a Rs 24-crore dredging work order from Visakhapatnam Port. The order involves deepening and widening of Vizag port's inner harbour entrance channel.

The deepening of the entrance channel would enable about 55,000 (deadweight tonnage) DWT handimax and panamax vessels to easily enter the port's inner harbour.

With many constraints pertaining to the depth and width of the entrance channel, Vizag port has not been able to bring in big vessels like handimax and panamax vessels into the inner harbour.

At present, only 40,000-45,000 DWT vessels are berthing at the inner harbour, and the port is allowing handimax vessels into the inner harbour only after lighteraging some cargo at the outer harbour. Currently, there is no provision to bring panamax vessels into the inner harbour.

"Keeping these limitations in mind, the port has decided to spend Rs 24 crore in the first phase to deepen the existing entrance channel. In the first phase, the entrance channel will be deepened to 11 metres from the present 10.06 metres. In the second phase, the depth of the entrance channel will be extended to 12.5 metres," KSD Dattu Raju, traffic manager, Vizag port, told Business Standard.

Once the inner harbour entrance channel deepening work is complete, about 55,000 DWT handimax and panamax vessels will enter the inner harbour easily, he added.

State-owned Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) would provide technical and consultancy support for the execution of this work. When DCI had invited bids on behalf of Vizag port, three dredging companies "� Dharthi Dredging Company, Jeshu Shipping Company and Gammon India Private Limited "� participated in the tender process. After evaluation, Dharthi Dredging Company bagged the contract, which would be executed within 10 months from now, DCI sources said.

Vizag port currently has 20 berths in its inner harbour. Of the total cargo handled by the port, about 40 per cent cargo is being handled at the inner harbour berths.The port also plans to add two more berths at its inner harbour over the next four to five years.