Vizag General Cargo Berth Private Limited (VGCB), a 74:26 joint venture between Sterlite Industries (India) Limited and Leighton Welspun Contractors Private Limited, would start commercial operations of its first fully automated green coal handling terminal at Visakhapatnam in the current quarter.
The company stated that it had obtained provisional permission to start operations of the project, which has been implemented at a total cost of $150 million.
“Having past experience in executing large projects helped us in predicting issues beforehand and planning accordingly,” TPK Patro, associate vice president, finance, stated in a press release on Wednesday.
The VGCB, has been awarded the general cargo berth (GCB) at the outer harbour of Visakhapatnam Port for mechanisation of coal handling facilities and upgradation for handling of coking coal and steam coal on design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis through private sector participation for a 30-year concession period.
The project is one of the measures planned by the Visakhapatnam Port Trust to reduce coal dust pollution in the ecosystem.
The project includes extension of berth to cater to 200,000 DWT capacity vessels, mechanisation of complete coal-based cargo handling facilities right from unloading of coal from ship, storage of the imported coals and loading of coal into railway wagon through rapid wagon loading system.