Vizag Port Draws Up Green Projects With An Investment Of Rs 1500 Cr
Has initiated measures like slashing carbon emissions by installing a solar power plant, deploying CNG buses and green tugboats
A view of Visakhapatnaman Port, which was thrown open to ocean traffic on October 7, 1933 with the arrival of passenger ship SS Jaladurga owned by Scindia Steam Navigation Company
Visakhapatnam: As part of its resolve to become more sustainable and eco-friendly so as to transform into a gateway to Southeast Asia, Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) has drawn up plans to take up projects with an investment of nearly Rs1500 crore.
The premier port, which was built wayback in 1933, has initiated measures like slashing carbon emissions by installing a solar power plant, deploying CNG buses and green tugboats. The port has emerged as the first major port in India to use 100 per cent renewable energy. It has also set up an Environment Monitoring Committee to review and reduce pollution levels. It has received ISO 14001 certification for its environment management system.
VPA Chairman Dr M Angamuthu told Bizz Buzz in an exclusive interview that it has lined up the new projects as part of handling cargo in a complete mechanised environment, ensure hassle-free evacuation of cargo by vehicles to the dock areas and provide end-to-end logistics support. As part of its new projects, the port as part of operation and maintenance of WQ-1 2 & 3 berths wants to employ Harbour Mobile Crane and other associated equipment including management and marketing.
WQ-1, 2 & 3 berths are contiguous on West Quay at the Inner Harbour and conventional dry cargo berths, handling a variety of 20 types of dry cargoes like coal, granite, iron ore, steel products, limestone and other minerals. The berths cumulatively handle about 7.45 MTPA. These berths can handle all fully loaded Handymax and Supramax vessels and Panamax vessels upto 75,000 DWT. They can handle Baby Cape Vessels up to 1,00,000 DWT. There is direct rail connectivity to these capable of handling a full-length rake. Another project on the anvil is for supply, installation including operations and maintenance of overhead conveyor system including connected bulk material equipment and transport system duly connecting West Quay berths to VPA’s Western Sector.
About 150 to 200 acres is available in the Western Sector of VPA. This land is by and large unused due to poor connectivity from the mainstream stacking areas and rail network. The present proposal envisages establishment of a dedicated overhead conveyor system connecting the west ore berths to the western sector. This will be used for handling cargoes from the Western Sector duly ensuring an environment-friendly system with green belt. The port is launching another project for maintenance of the existing EQ-10 terminal for carrying out cargo handling operations by deploying Harbour Mobile Crane and other associated equipment. The project was terminated w.e.f 18.01.2025 due to default of the concessionaire.
