The MV Mina Oldendorff, carrying the highest cargo of 1.89 lakh MT of coal, is berthed at the Krishnapatnam Port in the Nellore district here. It is the Liberian flag vessel listed among the large-sized vessels in the world.
Till now, the number of giant-size vessels handled by this southern port came to 19. It is said that as many as 47 cape size vessels called at the port in the financial year 2013-14 and in the first quarter of the current year 2014-15.
The berthing of such large ships is considered as a welcome development as the Krishnapatnam Port has being aiming at increased capabilities to handle fully-laden cape size vessels in India. Handling cape size vessels play a big role in the maritime industry and it is seen as vital part of the country’s maritime infrastructure.
In the area of cargo handling, the port created a record by handling 3.0 MMT of cargo in June this year as against 2.83 MMT in the previous month. The port officials claim that this could be achieved through use of best in class handling equipment, quality infrastructure, dedicated work force and management vision.
Within a short span, the Krishnapatnam port has developed a well-knit railway network within its premises. It is linked to the national railway grid for efficient handling of rakes and quick dispatch of cargo to the customers in a time bound manner, said Y. Anil Kumar, chief executive officer of the port.
The port has dedicated rail sidings for different grades and types of cargo. In June, the port could achieve the best performance of handling 432 rakes in a single month.
