November 22, 2008

Pre PIB meeting to take up dredging issue of JNPT channel

BL reported that the much delayed plan of deepening the approach channel of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust will be taken up in a pre Public Investment Board meeting this week.

Mr SS Hussain chairman of JNPT said that it plans to dredge the channel and increase the draught from 12.5 meters to 14.5 meters to be able to handle 6,000 TEU vessels.

He added that some of the important projects would include deepening of the approach channel, purchase of new cranes, deepening of the shallow berth and possibly setting up of a fourth container terminal pending for a long time.

JNPT had handled 55 million tonnes of cargo in 2007-08 fiscal as against 44 million tonnes in 2006-07 fiscal. The total container traffic was 51 million tonnes as against 40 million tonnes, dry bulk cargo was recorded at 740,000 tonnes as against 610,000 tonnes, liquid bulk stood at 316,000 tonnes as against 337,000 tonnes and break bulk was 56,000 tonnes as against 14,600 tonnes.

For current financial year, JNPT plans to invest INR 200 crore on its capacity expansion plans. It has earlier announced a CAPEX of INR 7,000 crore to be invested over a period of 5 to 6 years on its 32 ongoing projects which would enable it to handle more capacity of cargo and bigger ships.