Coal news and updates

CCEA clears 5 port projects worth Rs 17,631 crore

February 6: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), on February 5, approved five port projects worth Rs 17,631 crore, including four container terminals and one multi-purpose cargo berth, said an official release from the Ministry of Shipping.

Kandla Port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Ennore Port and Kolkata Port will have a container terminal each while the multi-purpose cargo berth project will be developed at Mumbai Port, said the release.

The proposed capacity of the multi-purpose cargo berth at Mumbai Port will be 4.5 million tons per annum (mtpa) with an estimated investment of Rs 696 crore and will be used for handling project cargos in iron, steel and automobiles.

The release said the proposed container projects will double the container handling capacity of major ports and will add 11.6 MTEU. At Jawaharlal Nehru Port, the estimated capacity of the terminal would be 4.8 MTEU at an estimated cost of Rs 7,915 crore, followed by a mega container terminal at Kandla Port with 4.2 MTEU capacity at an investment of Rs 5,992 crore.

The Diamond Harbour container terminal at Kolkata Port will have a capacity of 1.2 MTEU at an estimated investment of Rs 1,758 crore and the container terminal at Ennore Port will have a capacity of 1.4 MTEU at an investment of Rs 127 crore, said the release.

"These facilities will go a long way in promoting the EXIM trade in the country and also reduce transaction costs by improving efficiency in handling operations,” the release added.