Port Pipavav announces investment of INR 260 cr

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Gujarat Pipavav Port Limited (GPPL) today announced they will invest an additional INR 260 crore (approximately EUR 40 million) immediately, to dredge to 14.5 metres draft and further improve accessibility to the port, located in the State of Gujarat, 153 nautical miles northwest of Mumbai.
GPPL has entered into a contract with Zinkcon Marine (Singapore) Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Royal Boskalis Westminster to undertake capital dredging to increase the acceptance draught from 12.5m to 14.5m. The dredging is scheduled to be completed by mid- 2009.
Speaking about the port’s continued development, Mr Littlejohn said, “We are strongly committed to investment and growth in the port. We have presently undertaken construction of an additional container yard to support a container cargo volume of 600,000 TEUs (20ft container equivalent) per year, expected to be completed by December 31, 2008. We intend to construct container yards for supporting container cargo volume of additional 670,000 TEUs by December 31, 2009.
Port Pipavav is not just the obvious port for Gujarat, but also a preferred gateway to New Delhi and other markets in north-western India, that allows shippers an alternative to the traditional routing via the congested infrastructure around Mumbai.
“With the deeper draft, Pipavav offers a safe port for the ever larger container vessels that cannot call at Major Ports in India. The port has road and rail connectivity, and the rail freight costs from our on-dock facility to the North Indian Inland Container Depots (ICDs) are lower and the current maximum capacity of the rail link is 22 trains per day in each direction” Mr Littlejohn continued.
Background – Port Pipavav
Port Pipavav is located in the state of Gujarat at a distance of 140 kms South West of Bhavnagar. It is a multi-purpose, all weather port which handles bulk, break-bulk, containerised and LPG cargo.
The port has dedicated 735m of quay length for handling containers which are serviced by 3 post-panamax and 3 panamax quay cranes. The port has also dedicated 325m of quay length for handling bulk and break-bulk cargo. Two additional post-panamax cranes are on order for delivery early next year.
An on-dock rail facility with dedicated sidings to handle bulk and containerised cargo has also been developed. The port is well connected to its hinterland by road as well as the broad gauge rail network of India.
Port Pipavav is India’s first private sector port, and it is promoted by APM Terminals who is also the leading shareholder.
www.pipavav.com
Background – APM Terminals
APM Terminals is one of the world’s leading container terminal owners and operators, with a geographically balanced Global Terminal Network of 50 terminals in 31 countries. With corporate headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, APM Terminals is an independent terminal development and operating company providing world-class service container shipping lines in every major international trade lane.
www.apmterminals.com
For further information please contact
Mr. Philip Littlejohn – Managing Director – Gujarat Pipavav Port Limited
Phone: +91-22- 30011301; Email: littlejohn@portofpipavav.com

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