Fertilizer producer Iffco to build mid-sea jetty near Kandla

Fertilizer producer IFFCO will construct a jetty mid sea near Kandla for transfer of fertilisers from bigger vessels to smaller vessels.

By Himanshu Darji, ET Bureau | Updated: Oct 03, 2011, 02.40 PM IST

AHMEDABAD: Fertilizer producer IFFCO will construct a jetty mid sea near Kandla for transfer of fertilisers from bigger vessels to smaller vessels.

The Rs 30-crore project will help the company expedite the process and minimise losses as it is coping up to meet the rise in demand of fertilizers from abroad. The project will also decongest some of the traffic at Kandla.

The jetty will come over a 36,000 square metre land, between captive liquid jetty of IFFCO and Liquid Cargo Jetty of Indian Oil Corporation, which is already in possession of IFFCO. Raw material (for fertilizers) from large vessels anchored mid-sea will be berthed and unloaded at the jetty and then transported to company's plant through short distance by trucks. The plant produces fertilisers containing Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium in varied proportions.

While imported fertilisers will be stored, packed and then sent to railway wagons. "We have received a nod from the Kandla Port Trust. We will shortly commence work on the project," Natubhai Patel, chairman of IFFCO told ET.

The jetty will be most useful in peak season when vessels are required to wait for up to 10 days. Such delays have forced the officials to shut down the plant. The jetty will now give the much needed predictability and certainty to the company.
It will enable IFFCO to arrange for cargo shipment in larger vessels without any draft limitations. The diversion of cargo to the proposed jetty will also enable Kandla port accommodate additional cargo and decongest the traffic.

IFFCO already has a captive jetty for liquid cargo while solid cargo like Diammunium Phosphate, Mono Ammonium Phosphate and Muriate of Potash are unloaded at Kandla port and then transported to the storage areas in company's plant, located 12 km away, by trucks or dumpers. The movement of thousand of trucks has caused traffic congestion in the area.

Increased industrialisation of Kandla has aggravated the problem. While the Kandla Port Trust in increasing the capacity of the port, the rise in trade has outpaced the capacity expansion. Moreover the demand of fertilizers has also risen necessitating a move by IFFCO.

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