A fertiliser cargo handling facility will be set up at Deendayal Port in Kandla for which the port will invest Rs 340 crore, the government today said.
The proposed facility will handle 2.60 million tonne per annum (MTPA) cargo which will be raised subsequently to 4.50 MTPA.
"The Standing Finance Committee of Ministry of Shipping has cleared a project for setting up an exclusive, fully mechanised handling facility for fertiliser cargo at Deendayal Port in Kandla.
"The facility will be developed at berth number 14 of the port, which is being constructed at an approximate cost of Rs 138 crore. The port will further invest nearly Rs 340 crore for the project from its internal resources," Ministry of Shipping said in a statement.
The facility is expected to be commissioned by October, 2020.
In the proposed project, all activities, right from unloading of bulk fertiliser cargo from ships to loading of the bagged fertiliser onto the wagons will be fully mechanised, the statement said.
The fertiliser cargo will be unloaded using Mobile Harbour Cranes onto Mobile Hoppers.
The conveyor system, along with the tipper system, will transfer the cargo to the cargo storage shed, which will be equipped with 40 sets of bagging and stitching units which will feed the bagged cargo directly into wagons to reduce labour, movement and will optimise time and as such the logistics cost will come down, it said.
At present, the handling of fertiliser cargo at Deendayal Port involves multiple movements and agencies.
The mechanised facility will reduce the same and ensure faster delivery of the cargo to the end users, the statement said adding, it will be beneficial to the farmers in terms of cost and faster delivery.
The benefits for fertiliser importers will include efficient operation due to end to end mechanisation, no contamination of the cargo due to dedicated mechanisation and closed shed besides one time transfer through equipment and conveyor, it said.
The tendering work for the project is in progress, it added.
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