Coal news and updates

Third berth at Dighi Port to be operational soon

August 28: A new berth for handling container vessels at Dighi Port Limited, under the Maharashtra Maritime Board is going to be operational in the next three to four months, a senior official from the port told ICMW.

At present, there are two operating berths on the south bank. They are multi-purpose berths that handle coal and steel coils.

Three other multi-purpose berths on the north bank of the port are expected to be ready by the last quarter of 2014-15, he said.

The port has handled about 4 million tons (mt) of cargo till date.

“At present, we are handling coal for various clients such as Bhatia and Agarwal. There are 3-4 four parties who import coal through Dighi Port at present. We get at least 2-3 vessels carrying imported coal each month,” he said.

He estimated that the clients’ imports consist of about 0.1 mt of coal a month through the port.

“The current capacity of the port is 30 million tons per annum (mtpa) under phase I expansion. In the second phase, we are going to expand it to 60 mtpa and in the third phase we have plans to expand the capacity to 90 mtpa.” he said. Additionally, the port plans to increase its depth to 20 metres from the current draft of 12.5 metres.