Gigantic funds to extend port quay by 14.47 kilometers
Adani group is in plans to revamp its flagship commercial port with a financial push of Rs 57, 594 crores at Mundra in Gujarat. Mundra port is India’s biggest commercial port run by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ).
APSEZ has applied for environment and coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearances for increasing the capacity of Mundra by 385 million tons against current approval for handling 225 million tons.
The proposed expansion of Mundra’s waterfront development plan (WFDP) includes extending the quay length by another 14,470 metres, augmenting back-up facilities for handling multi-purpose, liquid, gas and cryogenic cargo.
It equally involves extending the eastern and western breakwater by 500 metres each in the south port and constructing a 5,000-metre-long breakwater on the eastern side of the west harbour. It involves dredging of some 350 million cubic metres of sand and other materials from the sea bed.
The expansion will be undertaken within the approved area of 5,170 hectares of water front development plan, APSEZ wrote in an application lodged with the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the ministry of the environment, forest and climate change.
“For the expansion of WFDP plan, it is significant to utilize the maximum marine development potential,” APSEZ has demanded.
“Based on the future cargo projections and business necessity of the hinterland, it is proposed to develop the port with the flexibility to handle various cargoes. Type of berth and type of cargo remain a commercial and business requirement. Thus, expansion plan will be developed with those flexibilities to accommodate berths and storage facilities as multi-purpose.”
– Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) said in its official release
“The expansion plan will consist of berths at various locations, material handling area, cargo storage area, operational and utility area, internal connectivity, drainage, greenbelt and various utilities, amenities and bunkering facilities,” the company added.
Mundra is the flagship port of APSEZ, which runs nine ports and terminals on India’s eastern and western coasts accounting for 24 per cent of the country’s anchorage capacity.
APSEZ ports handled a combined cargo of more than 200 million tons in the year to March 2019.
