VPA to Discuss Dugarajapatnam Port SPV at Board Meeting
Visakhapatnam:Visakhapatnam Port Authority will discuss in detail the special purpose vehicle formed to develop an integrated complex comprising a port, shipbuilding and ship repair at Dugarajapatnam in Tirupati district.
Discussions will take place at the board meeting on February 6. SPV was formed on 50:50 basis with AP maritime board.
VPA vice president Roshini Aparanji told the media on Monday that the integrated complex will have the capacity to build eight cape-sized ships per year.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget presentation on Sunday re-emphasized shipping, shipbuilding, container manufacturing and waterways with an allocation of ₹5,164 crore (48 per cent more than the previous year’s allocation).
The plan includes an area of 2,000 decares, 1,000 decares of which are shipyards; The remaining land is reserved for sub-industries, internal infrastructure and social facilities. The project includes modern stacking yards, railway sidings and internal overpasses to increase operational efficiency.
The total project cost is significant, with initial long-term development plans calling for around ₹29,662 crore. The facility is expected to provide direct employment to more than 5,000 people and indirect employment to 30,000 people. The project is part of the central government’s shipbuilding development plan (SbDS).
Among other things, some of the cargo handling will be shifted to Mulapeta Port in Srikakulam district, where three berths have been completed and the fourth is nearing completion, the vice president said.
“The change will allow us to maintain cleanliness around the port for years to come,” he said.
Regarding cargo handling at VPA, he said they are likely to achieve a target of 90 million tonnes by the end of the current financial year. As of date, 74 million tons of cargo have been handled.
