BL quoted Mr Praveen Agarwal chairman of Mormugao Port Trust as saying that, with some of the maritime states showing considerable initiative to develop minor ports, India’s cargo traffic by sea is poised for a major leap forward in the near future.
Mr Agarwal said that India has 700 million tonnes handling capacity, which is estimated to touch 1.5 billion tonnes by 2013 and 2 billion tonnes by 2020 with demand for cargo traffic by sea increasing every year, besides accommodating bulk cargo carriers.
He lauded the initiatives of the states such as Gujarat, which leads the pack with 42 ports, followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, all of which have set up maritime boards and are in the process of developing minor ports.
He said that Goa has notified 5 minor ports already, but felt that it would have to conduct a lot of studies of navigational channel as connectivity to handle cargo was crucial and expressed Mormugao Port Trust’s willingness to share its expertise in joint ventures with the state.
Mr Agarwal also spoke of imminent need for the country to create critical infrastructure for container traffic as no port is geared and capable to receive mega vessels of the capacity like 6,500 TEUs, as a result of which, the cost and time constraints in container traffic sector continue to dog India’s external trade.
Mr Agarwal said that India has 700 million tonnes handling capacity, which is estimated to touch 1.5 billion tonnes by 2013 and 2 billion tonnes by 2020 with demand for cargo traffic by sea increasing every year, besides accommodating bulk cargo carriers.
He lauded the initiatives of the states such as Gujarat, which leads the pack with 42 ports, followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, all of which have set up maritime boards and are in the process of developing minor ports.
He said that Goa has notified 5 minor ports already, but felt that it would have to conduct a lot of studies of navigational channel as connectivity to handle cargo was crucial and expressed Mormugao Port Trust’s willingness to share its expertise in joint ventures with the state.
Mr Agarwal also spoke of imminent need for the country to create critical infrastructure for container traffic as no port is geared and capable to receive mega vessels of the capacity like 6,500 TEUs, as a result of which, the cost and time constraints in container traffic sector continue to dog India’s external trade.