Kamarajar Port at Ennore here has given in-principle nod to Chettinad International Coal Terminal Ltd. (CICTL) to go ahead with its expansion plan.
CICTL has drawn up a Rs.150-crore expansion plan that calls for handling increased volume of imported coal, deepening the berth to 18 meters to accommodate cape-size vessels, lengthening the coal terminal jetty, and installing conveyor system and augmenting the capacity of the unloaders.
The expansion became all the more a necessity as Kamarajar Port alone in the city has been allowed to handle coal and iron ore. Last year, CICTL handled eight million tonnes (MT) and in the last six months about 4.3 MT.
“We have given an in-principle approvalto CICTL to increase the coal jetty length by 22.50 meters to 347.50 meters,” a Kamarjar Port official said.
A ranking official of CICTL said that the company was expanding jetty length and deepening the berth to 18 meters to accommodate cape-size vessels that were above 1,50,000 tonnes deadweight. The sea-freight of cape-size vessels would be cheaper, and could handle more volumes. The expansion work would commence soon. The coal handling capacity would increase by two MTPA.
“We have entered into 30-years agreement to handle coal, of which, it is an exclusive agreement for five years till February 2016. There after, the sector will be open for third party to compete with us to handle coal,” the CICTL official said.
