Search the Internet          Tips  Sites: Finance, Investment

Mormugao Port Trust plans special berth for 'Ro-Ro' service

Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panaji

The Mormugao Port Trust is planning a special berth for a 'roll on, roll off' service, popularly known as Ro Ro service, through the Arabian Sea from Goa to Bombay.

Rather than loading general cargo, the berth would provide a service to put loaded trucks and even passenger cars on board, saving fuel and depreciation cost of vehicles, while also avoiding other road risks confronted on the road.

The Konkan Railway Corporation has launched a similar service along the same route, which has obtained good response.

The project worth around Rs 150 million is part of a bigger plan to develop the Vasco Bay behind the port town, investing around Rs 1.65 billion on BOT basis, while expecting at least Rs 950 million from the private sector.

"Some of the fishing companies have expressed willingness to take up the project," states Dr Jose Paul, the MPT chairman. He would be shortly placing before the board of trustees the final report by Frederic R Harris (India) Pvt Ltd, after which it would be forwarded to the concerned ministries for environmental clearance.

The ambitious project also includes construction of two more general cargo berths, a fishing jetty, a jetty for port crafts and another jetty for the Coast Guard.

The ministry for agriculture, the Coast Guard as well as the Mormugao Port Trust is also investing into it.

The port authorities expect to complete the project in next three years, provided all the environmental clearances are sought within one year.

Besides this, another private project of two more berths 5A and 6A is expected to be operational by November next year. The project worth Rs 2.50 billion has been licenced to ABG Port Ltd for a period of 30 years. It would handle around 5 MT of coal and other general cargo annually.

The MPT's yet another prestigious project worth Rs 800 million to construct the 18 km-long four-lane highway from Verna to Harbour is also expected to be completed by December next year. The Border Roads Organisation has already completed four kms stretch of it.

Mormugao port sees 8% growth in traffic handling

The Mormugao Port Trust has registered an 8 per cent growth in traffic handling at 19.63 million tonne and made a net profit of Rs 75.9 million during the year 2000-01.

Mormugoa accounts for 40 per cent of India's total iron ore exports and retains its position as one of the country's top iron-ore exporting ports. MPT chairman, Jose Paul, told reporters at Mormugao yesterday that even though traffic handled during 1999-2000 was lower at 18.23 mt, profit recorded was higher at Rs 120.3 million.

He attributed the fall in profits in 2000-01 to wage revisions and payment of arrears liability to class three and four employees. The provisional operating income and expenditure during the year were Rs 1.61 billion and Rs 1.37 billion, respectively.

The MPT chief said the mechanical ore handling plant unloaded a record 10.37 mt ore from barges in 2000-01 (earlier highest was 9.13 mt in 1997-98) and a record 55,625 tonne ore on a single day on February 19, 2001, as against the earlier highest of 55,557 tonne. The total traffic handled during the year comprised 15.94 mt export and 3.69 mt import.

About 56 per cent of all iron-ore exported from Mormugao went to Japan. China was the second-largest buyer, taking 25 per cent. Other prominent buyers were South Korea, Pakistan, the Netherlands, Turkey, Taiwan, Belgium and Romania.

Mitsui-controlled Sesa Goa retained its position as top iron-ore exporter from the port for the year 2000-01. The company accounted for one out of every four tonne of iron-ore exported from the port.

Other private companies topping the ore exporters' list from Mormugao were Chowgule & Co Ltd and V S Dempo and Co Ltd. State-run Minerals & Metal Trading Corporation stood fourth, increasing its exports from Mormugao by a third over the previous year and touching 1.81 million tonne.

Mormugao port announced here that exports via the port had earned India some Rs 13.86 billion in foreign exchange. This major port, however, remains largely dependent on iron-ore. Out of exports totalling 19.6 mt, iron ore and pellets traffic (along with other ores) totalled 15.7 mt. Phosphoric acid and POL exports totalled 1.23 mt, while general cargo totalled 2.6 mt.

Some 50 container ships visited the port this year, as against 52 in the previous year. The total quantity of containerised cargo handled was 43,783 tonne, as against 50,153 tonne in 1999-2000.

During the year, Mormugao also recorded the visit of the largest-tourist vessel - the 264-metre long M V Legend of the Sea, carrying some 1,800 tourists.

Mormugao, recently, announced plans for modernisation and expansion. These plans include three mooring dolphins capable of handling cape-size vessels, completing a four-lane road linking the port, construction of two berths 5A and 6A on a BOOT basis, a launch jetty, development of the 'Vasco Bay' area, modifications to the decades-old Mechanical Ore Handling Plant (MOHP), acquisition of two tugs, installation of a Vessel Traffic Management System, and an Electronic Data Interchange.

Additional inputs: Business Standard

Money

Business News

Tell us what you think of this report