Healthy competition between major and non-major ports: Babu

Visakhapatnam Port Trust Chairman MT Krishna Babu today said there was a healthy competition between all major ports and non-major ports, many of which are in the private sector, in the country.

"There is a healthy competition between major ports and non-major ports. Many of the non-major ports are coming in the private sector, and hence, major ports have to their increase their efficiency," Babu said while addressing the two-day East Coast Maritime business summit which began here today.

The summit is being organised by Maritime Gateway.

He said the major ports were improving its facilities and efficiency parameters in order to face competition from new ports.
 

Babu said the Visakhapatnam Port Trust has also taken up many projects in recent years to increase its capacity and improve efficiency.

Chairman and managing director of Container Corporation of India, V Kalyanarama said containerisation would be the future trend and many ports have set up container terminals, but still there is a long way to go he said.

Another speaker at the seminar, chairman of Inland Waterways Authority of India Amitabh Verma spoke about the on-going projects and about the five national waterways.

He said the Andhra Pradesh government and Inland Waterways Authority are working together on National Waterway-Four (NW-4) from Vijayawada to Kakinada in Krishna and Godavari rivers.

Deputy Chairman of Visakhapatam Port Trust P L Harinath stressed the importance of coastal shipping, especially in transporting coal within the country.

Former secretary, Ministry of Shipping Micheal P Pinto, chief commercial officer, South Asia Gateway Terminals Pvt Ltd Ted Muttiah among others attended the summit.