Mundra port to get 4 new berths

P&O ports to invest Rs 200 cr for two berths at MICT *GAPL to set up two more

The Mundra port will soon get four new berths. While P&O Ports has decided to invest another Rs 200 crore to add two new berths at the Mundra International Container Terminal (MICT), Gujarat Adani Port (GAPL) will also set up two additional berths.

The multinational container handling company had earlier invested Rs 1000 crore in the terminal.

GAPL has started construction work for the two new multi-cargo berths.

"With the significant growth of multi-cargo handling at this port on a year-to-year basis, we have begun construction of two new berths with an estimated investment of Rs 200 crore. We handled 4.6 million tonne of cargo during the last fiscal year, which is much higher than cargo handled by us in the previous year," Sandeep Mehta, president of GAPL, said here on Thursday.

"The EPC tender for the two berths has been awarded to Simplex Construction and we hope that both the berths will be operational in 14 months from August, 2004," he added.

It may be recalled here that the Adanis had handed over the container terminal of Mundra Port to P&O Ports in December last year. Till July this year, P&O Ports has handled over 43282 twenty feet equivalent units (TUEs) of container cargo.

The terminal has witnessed a steady growth in container handling along with the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) where P&O Ports also runs a container terminal.

The Mundra port handles cargo from four multi-cargo berths, with an average occupancy rate of over 85 per cent.

The port has recently achieved the distinction of being India's first multicargo commercial port to achieve International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code compliance, now made mandatory for all commercial ports handling international cargo.

The port was dedicated to the nation in January 2000 as the country's first private port. While expansion projects have already been initiated at the port, the MICT, now run by P&O, is also going to witness increased traffic handling by end of the fiscal year 2005-06, when construction of the two new berths is over.

At present, Mundra Port has four multi-cargo berths and MICT has two berths to handle container traffic.

MICT, which is provided with 1100 metres of quayline for direct berthing of vessels, is also expected to bring in fresh investment of another Rs 800 crore in the next two-three years, Jimmy Sarbh, director, South Asia and Middle East, P&O Ports, said at the handing over of MICT to P&O Ports by GAPL.

"While P&O has already spent over Rs 1000 crore in the MICT in the first phase of investment in Mundra port, the company is looking for a major expansion of its activities from here. Mundra Port is being considered as next major hub for container handling, next to JNPT. After some bitter experiences over tendering of handling container terminal of Kandla Port in 1999-2000, P&O Ports backed out from the project and since then remained reluctant to invest in the Kandla Port," said a source close to P&O.