Panaji: The Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) lacks an efficient infrastructure to meet the requirements of modern container ships, said its interim chairman Rajiv Jalota. The port will use funds from the Sagarmala program to install an efficient port crane, he said.
Jalota said a tender to appoint an operator for the port crane will be launched “soon” while the mobile bank crane will most likely be bought by the MPT and handed over to the operator.
“We decided to issue an operation and maintenance tender for a crane. We also turn to Sagarmala to finance cranes so the initial cost burden is lower for the operator. If we can buy a crane and hand it over to the operator, the trade benefits, ”he said.
Jalota, who has joint responsibility for the Mumbai Port Trust and the MPT, said that while the MPT has some land cranes and a mobile harbor crane, they are not efficient enough to operate containers. The lack of efficient infrastructure and a lack of container cargo is preventing container and feeder ships from calling at the port.
“One of the biggest hurdles I face is developing the port to meet modern requirements such as container traffic. You need port infrastructure at the highest level, ”said the interim chairman of the MPT at a logistics conference.
Jalota expects the port to be able to attract a significant portion of the 70,000 TEU container cargo originating in Goa if the MPT improves its port infrastructure. Currently only around 28,000 to 30,000 TEU are shipped via the MPT.
The MPT is also in the process of assigning the operation and maintenance of berths 10 and 11 as well as the renovation of berth 9 and three ship berths by PPP.
