New ports to give push to global trade. ............................................................. As the Chandrababu Naidu government completes 100 days in office, the representatives of the industry are confident of change in the industrial landscape of Andhra Pradesh due to its resolve to develop 14 ports. The government has already announced development of a major port at Dugarajapatnam and 13 minor ports all along 996-km coastline. The State at present has a major port at Visakhapatnam and minor ports at Krishnapatnam, Kakinada and Gangavaram. The Sivaramakrishnan Committee in its report stated that there is huge potential for maritime-based development by developing ports. “A focused approach will attract investors into petrochemical, shipbuilding, power and other sectors with a lot of employment opportunities,” Sravan Shipping Services managing director G. Sambasiva Rao told The Hindu. He said the need of the hour was to constitute AP State Maritime Board with headquarters in Visakhapatnam, frame the required rules, identify suitable land and get clearances and subsequently seek private investors under Design, Build, Finance, Operate, Transfer (DBFOT) mode. “In the first phase, ports that are feasible should be taken up at Machilipatnam, Bhavanapadu and Kalingapatnam and other ports subsequently,” Mr. Rao said. He also wanted promotion of cruise tourism and coastal shipping in a big way to earn more revenue. Gujarat is the pioneer in boosting port-based development. It has major port by Adani Group and as many as 32 minor ports in the private sector. AP ports at present handle 125 million tonnes – 85 million tonnes by Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram ports and the balance by Krishnapatnam and Kakinada ports. New ports in the private sector can go for aggressive marketing and handle more cargo with faster evacuation due to installation of latest cranes and machinery. “With several production platforms on the Krishna-Godavari basin and LNG and other projects and product-specific and multi-product special economic zones and investment clusters proposed all along Visakhapatnam-Kakinada PCPIR, the new ports will attract investors from all over the world,” said CII Vizag zone chairman Neeraj Sarda.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 13:38:47 +0000
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