Smita Deshmukh
Written off years ago, the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) has now bounced back
with astounding growth figures. In 2006-2007, the port has handled its
largest ever cargo traffic of 52.36 million tonnes (from last year’s 44.19
million tonnes) with a growth rate of 18.5 per cent, the highest by any port
across the country.
Riding high, the MbPT is now on a massive expansion mode with an offshore
container terminal project, deepening the harbour wall berths to bring in
bigger ships along with a state-of-art cruise terminal to cash in the
growing international cruise traffic.
Though it has lost volume of container traffic to Jawaharlal Nehru Port
Trust (JNPT), the MbPT is now moving towards becoming a multipurpose
character port handling container, bulk cargo, project cargo, motor vehicles
and liquids like fuel and chemicals. “It’s a defining moment for us,” said
Ashok Kumar Bal, deputy chairman, MbPT. “Today, we are the leading port in
handling project cargo – like turbines, boilers, heavy equipments coming
from China for big infrastructure projects like Reliance Gas pipeline. All
leading vehicle manufacturers are exporting through us.”
Officials are now taking major futuristic steps to stay ahead in the
competition. In the pipeline is an off shore container terminal project
around 700 metres into the sea, with three berths in phase I and the fourth
in phase II. Pegged at Rs1,228 crore, the bid of Gammon India along with
Spanish consortium Dragados SPL have been selected for this
Built-Operate-Transfer project to be completed in the next three years,
which is awaiting the Centre’s nod. The first phase would add 0.8 million
Teus equivalent to 10 million tonnes and the second 0.4 million Teus, taking
the total capacity to 15 million tonnes. The BOT operator would spend Rs866
crore for the project and the remaining funds would be provided by the MbPT.
For the growing liquids traffic, the port is now planning a new chemical
jetty at Pir Pau costing Rs116 crore, which has received clearance from the
Planning Commission. Officials are also looking at a fifth jetty for crude
at Jawahar Dweep. Eyeing deep drafted cargo vessel business, the port has
now decided to redevelop the three harbour wall berths at the cost of Rs363
crore. Thanks to this, the draft would increase to 14.64 metres from the
existing 8 metres.
For smooth evacuation of cargo, the MbPT is now is partnering with Central
Railway to build a dedicated new track at the cost of Rs131 crore on the
harbour line between Wadala and Kurla to ease the pressure on the existing
track. On the road side, the port is also contributing Rs35 crore of the
cost of Rs140 crore for the Anik Panjarpur link road constructed by the
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). “We are also
bearing 50 per cent cost of the 700 metre link road joining the Anik
Panjarpur from the Mahul side. We are in dialogue with the MMRDA for an
elevated road passing through the port land as part of the Eastern Freeway
linking Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj Vastusangrahalaya to Ghatkopar, which
would segregate city traffic from port traffic,” said Bal.