Visakhapatnam Port Trust plans to modernise its three cargo berths, increasing its handling capacity from the present 2.5 million tonnes to 4.5 million tonnes.

The port has registered significant growth in thermal coal (125 per cent), steam coal (65 per cent), containers (8 per cent) and coking coal (6 per cent) till August 2021 compared to 2020.

Currently, almost Rs 1,000 crores worth of port modernisation and infra projects, including the construction of roads, drains, and cover sheds, are underway.

Port chairman K Ramamohana Rao told The New Indian Express that the modernisation of west quay berths 7 and 8 would be taken up under PPP mode at the cost of Rs 288.47 crore.

This project will facilitate multi-cargo handling such as manganese, coking coal, gypsum, bauxite and cargos other than iron ore.

Similarly, around Rs 190 crore will be invested to fully mechanise East quay berth 7 to handle fertiliser and multi-cargo.

Also, the port trust has taken measures to control dust pollution from loading and unloading cargo at berth and stack yards. Two truck-mounted fog canons were procured, and plans are on to buy two trolley mounted fog canons. Already there is a facility to wash tyres of trucks going out from the port.

“All these efforts are yielding considerable results as there has been a drop in pollution, and the target is to reach at least near-zero pollution,’’ Ramamohana Rao said.