Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal unveils major initiatives worth ₹280 crores for upgradation of Kandla Port

India’s Port, Shipping & Waterways Minister, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal virtually inaugurates Oil Jetty No 7 at Old Kandla

NEW DELHI/ GANDHIDHAM : The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday virtually unveiled a slew of initiatives to ramp up capacity at Kandla Port – one of India’s major ports. With an estimated investment of ₹280 crores, the initiatives will boost capacity at the Kandla Port of Deendayal Port Authority.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, our country is moving ahead every day towards achieving the ultimate goal of becoming an Atmanirbhar Bharat. The role of maritime trade is of paramount importance in this regard. We are building capacity of our ports to propel opportunities of Blue Economy to power the growth of India. As Modi ji has laid emphasis on the growth of an environment friendly, economical, smooth mode of transport, the role of maritime transport is crucial in the transformation of India to become a major player in international trade & commerce. I am extremely blessed to unveil these major initiatives to ramp up capacity at the Kandla Port. This will go a long way to realise one of the many milestones to become Atmanirbhar at the end of this AmritKaal.”

The Union Minister inaugurated the Oil Jetty No. 7 at Old Kandla which was built with an investment of ₹ 73.92 crores. This jetty, with a capacity of 2 MMTPA, will enhance the liquid handling capacity of mainly edible oil to satiate the projected requirements. With an augmented capacity to handle cargo, it will bring down the waiting time (pre-berthing detention time) of vessels and other related assets.

Adding further, Sarbananda Sonowal said, “The potential of blue economy has many important benefits, best of which is sustainable use of marine resources for an environment friendly economic growth. With a variety of sectors from tourism to energy, blue biotech to fisheries or aquaculture, the potential of economic growth in blue economy is particularly interesting. We believe that objectives set by the visionary Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, blue economy is one of the major future drivers of growth of India.”

Sarbananda Sonowal also laid down foundation stones for development of Back Up Area of Oil Jetty No 8 to 10 – with an estimated investment of ₹ 98.41 crores; development of four lane Road common Corridor From LC-236 B to 16th Cargo Berth along Railway Line – with an estimated investment cost of ₹ 67 crores as well as construction of Dome Shaped Storage Shed inside CJ area Phase II – with an estimated investment cost of ₹39.66 crores. All these projects are scheduled to be completed by 2024.

With the inauguration of the jetty, more number of ships will now be accommodated as improved turnaround time will benefit both shipping companies as well as port users. The jetty is T-shaped Jetty with Length of 110 m and Breadth of 12.40 m which can handle the large size of vessel upto 65000 DWT and 13 m depth. This project has led to an indirect employment of around 1000 plus and direct employment of around 250 plus employment opportunities, during the construction phase.

Deendayal Port Authority is the largest liquid handling port in the country. It handles all kinds of liquid bulk i.e. petroleum products, petrochemicals, acids, liquefied gases and vegetable oils. Keeping the future vision and port expansion as well as per the demand of Port Users, DPA has initiated the action for development of land parcel of 554 Acres (225 Ha), in the associated Oil Jetty No. 8 to 11. The land parcel of 554 Acres will be will be utilized for Tank farm development with the Tentative Tankage Capacity of 2.28 million KL. The proposed back-up area will be connected to the Oil Jetties, the piperacks from the jetties will be capable feeding into both the tank farms.

A separate common corridor/Road from LC-236B (New ROB) to 16th CB along railway line will be built for smooth cargo operation of Port and accommodating the existing and up-coming traffic of Cargo berth No. 11 to 17. Phase I of the work is to expected to be completed in 18 months with an estimated cost of Rs.67.00 Cr. The proposed work comprises of Four lane Road having length of 6.5 km with flexible pavement. The dome shaped storage shed has 04 nos. godowns of total 24,000 M2 area with storage capacity of 1.05 lakhs M.T. to be constructed in Phase-II. These 4 godowns of size 200m X 30m to be constructed in place of G-22 & G-23. This proposed godowns are self-supported roofing system type without any intermediate supporting structure between roof & floor, resulting more working height for cargo handling, suitable for bulk cargo through hydraulic system.

The event was also attended by the Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Tourism, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik; the Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shri Shantanu Thakur; the Member of Parliament (MP) of Kachchh Shri Vinodbhai Chavda and the Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Gandhidham; Shri Maltiben Maheswari along with top officials & employees of Deendayal Port Authority; the Ministry of Ports, Shipping &Waterways and other distinguished guest.