CHENNAI, Apr 11: Kamarajar Port Limited (KPL), India’s only corporate major port, today announced 10.64 per cent growth in its cargo handling for 2014-15.
Its target for 2015-16 includes awarding the construction of fourth coal berth at a cost of Rs 320 crore, Kamarajar Port CMD M A Bhaskarachar said.
“The throughput at Kamarajar Port registered a sound growth of 10.64 per cent at 30.25 MT as against 27.34 MT in the corresponding previous financial year (2013-14),” he told reporters here.
Plans are afoot to increase the existing capacity to 81 MT during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17), involving an investment of Rs 7,705 crore, he added.
Besides the two coal berths with a capacity of 12 MTPA (million tonnes per annum) that meet the requirements of state-run TANGEDCO, the contract for setting up the third one with 9 MTPA capacity was awarded to ITD Cementation in December 2013, and the construction activity is likely to commence by the end of this month, he said.
Pre-project activity for the construction of the fourth coal berth, also for power utility Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), has been started.
Contract work will be awarded by the end of May 2015 for the estimated Rs 320-crore project with 9 MTPA, he said, adding that the due date for submission of tenders is April 16, 2015.
The terminal is scheduled to go on stream by June 2017.
On the financial performance for 2014-15, Bhaskarachar said the operating income of the port, located at Ennore near here, is estimated at Rs 563.64 crore, a 12.30 per cent rise, against Rs 501.93 crore in the previous year.
“Kamarajar Port is the youngest among the 12 major ports, developed as landlord port and also the first and only corporate major port,” stated a company release.
Landlord port is one where the port authority builds wharves, which it then rents or leases to a terminal operator. (PTI)
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