Deendayal Port, Kandla, to have mechanised handling facility

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The Standing Finance Committee of Ministry of Shipping has cleared a project for setting up an exclusive, fully mechanised handling facility for fertiliser cargo at Deendayal Port at Kandla, Gujarat.

The facility will be developed at berth number 14 of the port being constructed at an approximate cost of Rs 138 crore. The port will further invest approximately Rs 340 crore in the project from its internal resources. Initially, the proposed facility will handle 2.60 Million Metric Tonne Per Annum (MMTPA) and subsequently this will be raised to 4.50 MMTPA.

In the proposed project, all activities right from unloading of bulk fertiliser cargo from the ships to loading of the bagged fertiliser onto the wagons will be fully mechanized. The fertiliser cargo will be unloaded using Mobile Harbour Cranes onto Mobile Hoppers. The conveyor system, along with the tipper system, will transfer the cargo to the cargo storage shed. The storage shed will be equipped with 40 sets of bagging and stitching units which will feed the bagged cargo directly into wagons to reduce labour, movement and will optimise time and as such the logistic cost will come down.

At present, the handling of fertiliser cargo at Deendayal Port involves multiple movements and agencies.  The mechanised facility will reduce the same and ensure faster delivery of the cargo to the end users. It will be beneficial to the farmers in terms of cost and faster delivery, according to a PIB release.