Adani moots rapid expansion to drive Mundra Port & SEZ growth

MUNDRA (Gujarat): Mundra Port and SEZ Ltd, an Adani Group concern, has embarked upon rapid expansion of cargo-handling capacity and logistics options at its private port and special economic zone here on the West Coast of the country to drive growth. "A bottoms-up approach is what we have started with," Mundra Port and SEZ Ltd (MPSEZL) Chief Operating Officer Captain Unmesh Abhyankar told PTI here, explaining that the company was hopeful that "going forward, as the port grows, the SEZ will grow.

" Among the proposed infrastructure projects, Mundra Port and SEZ Ltd (MPSEZL) aims to enhance the number of berths for handling consignments of coal, liquid fuel, fertilisers, cars and other products being imported or exported through the port. MPSEZL will also enhance its privately developed railway link between Mundra and Adipur to cater to four times the existing capacity and has sought approvals for commencing commercial operations at its private airport in the SEZ, which will give exporters an alternate route to get their time critical shipments to the port.

"The company plans to set up as many as 20 new berths at the Mundra Port under its Vision 2020," Abhyankar said, adding that the first three berths will be established at its Western Basin facility by March, 2011. "The first three new berths will add another 1,320 metres of berth length to the port," Abhyankar said.

"Subsequently, the company will add and operationalise another 500 metres of berth length by December 2011," he said. A dedicated liquid berth capable of handling Aframax oil tankers will also be established by end-2011, he added.

Subsequently, the company is hopeful of establishing 800 metres of additional berth length for container handling in the southern basin facility of the port before March, 2013. However, Abhyankar declined to reveal the investment involved in expansion of the number of berths at the port.

At present, Mundra has a total of eight berths in operation, including eight multi-purpose berths for dry and liquid bulk cargoes and four container berths for super post Panamax vessels. The MPSEZL COO also indicated the company was keen to set up another Single Point Mooring (SPM) in the ocean from where very large crude carriers (VLCCs) would be able to supply crude oil or refined petroleum products to tank farms operated by IOC and HPCL within the SEZ. This would also benefit Hindustan Mittal Energy Ltd (HMEL), which plans to source the crude requirement for the Bhatinda Refinery, in Punjab, through a dedicated pipeline from the Mundra Port, he said.