The Gangavaram port is aiming to handle about four million tonne of cargo by the end of March 2009. In the first phase, five berths with an annual capacity of 35 million tonne were constructed recently.
“Since the last few weeks, we have been doing trial operations and have handled about 1 million tonne of coking coal, boiler coal and steel products. We have unloaded coking coal and boiler coal for the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, Steel Authority of India and a few customers in Orissa, besides exporting products of Jindal Steel,” port sources told Business Standard.
Most of the work related to the multi-purpose port, including railway lines, road laying, conveyer belt construction, development of open and closed stock yards, and erection of all major equipment has been completed and the management is awaiting nod for commercial operations, they said, adding, “The port has started moving the imported cargo through the conveyer belt and by railway wagons.”
Gangavaram is the second port after Krishnapatnam that can handle mother ships. The port is fully mechanised and the water draft is 21 metres, which will enable large ships to enter the port.
This will also help in enhancing the handling rate when compared with other ports.
DVS Raju, founder of Hyderabad-based IT firm VisualSoft and others hold 64 per cent, while global private equity company Warberg Pincus and the Andhra Pradesh government hold 25 per cent and 11 per cent respectively in the project. The consortium has invested around Rs 2,000 crore in setting up the port.
