Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) is looking forward to sign a concession agreement with the finally selected bidder of its proposed Rs. 7210-crore iron ore export terminal project at “West of Breakwater (WOB)”, latest by August.
Chairman of MPT Praveen Agarwal disclosed here on Wednesday that the port had received an excellent response for its proposal to set up the project on a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
A total of 14 companies/ consortiums have bid for the project, which is considered as the single biggest PPP project initiated by MPT.
The terminal is expected to become operational by March 2014 and will provide the much needed mechanised facilities for direct export of the Karnataka iron ore through MPT, the leading iron ore exporting port of the country.
In response to the RFQ (Request for Qualification) floated by MPT, 14 applicants who bid singly or in consortium, include Larsen & Toubro, Adani, Salgaocar, Essar, Lanco, MSPL, IMC, Gangavaram, Gammon, IL&FS, Jindal, Sterlite, GVK and Shapoorji Pallonji & Co., said Mr. Agarwal.
The MPT chairman said that the design of the terminal incorporated high rated mechanised equipment for smooth and safe handling of the ore, and also had the most modern pollution control and dust suppression systems, which would ensure zero pollution and spillage.
The plan was to load the empty railway rakes, after discharge of ore, with imported coal on their return leg of the journey.
The iron ore export project had been designed to facilitate quick and pollution-free evacuation of the imported coal from MPT, explained Mr. Agarwal.
Keeping this project in view, South Western Railway had taken up the doubling of the Hospet-Vasco rail connectivity, said Mr. Agarwal.
