Bhubaneswar: India’s largest private commercial port Mundra is in Gujarat that is managed by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ). APSEZ wants to replicate the success model of Mundra in Odisha by increasing the cargo handling capacity of Dhamra port. To carry out the ambitious plan, APSEZ plans to invest `48,933 crore in the project over 35 years in a phased manned that will enhance cargo handling capacity to 314 million tonnes a year eventually.
APSEZ officials said that the investment will be made in two phases spread over 35 years. “In the first phase of the expansion in five years, APSEZ will invest `17,518 crore in building the port’s cargo handling infrastructure that will enhance capacity to 169.5 million tonnes,” said the official. In the longer second phase, `31,415 crore will be invested and it is expected that by the end of 30 years cargo handling capacity will cross 314 million tonnes.
Giving details of the the project, new container handling facility will be set up that will have initial capacity of 3.1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) which will be enhanced to 4.66 million TEUs in due course.
According to the authorities, APSEZ has already received environmental and coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearance from the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
At present, The Dhamra Port Company (DPCL), the APSEZ division, runs the port with two berths. Both berths handle 25 million tonnes of cargo, including iron ore, coal and limestone.
The official said that Dhamra port expansion will help APSEZ reach combined port (eastern and western coasts) target of handling 400 million tonnes of cargo by 2025.