Angre' port set to open in March 2012

Angre' port at Jaigad, scheduled to be inaugurated on March 23, 2012, is being looked at as a major reliever for the exporters and importers who are victim of delay and traffic congestion at the JNPT (Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust) in Navi Mumbai. It is likely to eat up a major business share of JNPT, in Maharashtra, and the Mundra port in Gujarat (majorly dealing with sugar cargo).

Angre' port has been named after the first naval admiral Kanhoji Angre' of the Maratha navy. It is being set up by the Goa-based Chowgule Group under green-field project and is merely 45 km from Ratnagiri and 200 km from Kolhapur. It is surrounded by an industrial zone.

Currently, the cargo for these two regions is cleared at the JNPT and the Mundra port. Ratnagiri is around 303 km from the JNPT and 1,212 km from the Mundra port.

“The location of the Angre' port would allow a cargo coming from Kolhapur to be cleared in merely two days over the 2-week clearance time needed at the JNPT port. Not only this, the total cost of the container would reduce from Rs 28,000 to Rs 8,000-10,000,” claims Gautam Kumar, executive assistant to CEO, Chowgule Group.

The National Highway and Konkan Railway are about 45 km from the proposed site. A four-lane road and dedicated rail link to the port site is also proposed.

Angre' would be a major gain for the traders given the cost and the time in transport being saved. Also the port would carry all-weather operations with minimum or nil effect of the South-West monsoon. The proposed jetty dimension is 450 X 43 m and would have a dedicated liquid berth.

The immediate storage area for the port would include container yard, dry bulk, liquid bulk and focus on clean cargo. A large back up area is already under possession by the company. Bharat Petroleum has a plant set up at the location.

Besides, the Chowgule Group is also planning to set up a consolidation centre at Kolhapur which would be a major booster for the traders who would save money spent in sending one entire container even for a small quantity of the product needed to be transported. Thus, a consolidation centre would allow several traders to consolidate items and send it via a single container.

For setting up this port the company has entered into a concession agreement with the Government of Maharashtra under the BOOST (Build-Own-Operate-Share-Transfer) scheme.

BOOST refers to a project based on the granting of a concession by a principal (the government or a local authority) to the concessionaire, who is responsible for the construction, financing, operation and maintenance of a facility over the period of the concession before finally transferring the facility, at no cost to the principal, a fully operational facility. During the concession period the promoter would own and operate the facility and collect revenue in order to repay the financing and investment costs, maintain and operate the facility and make a margin of profit.

At the moment, India has around 12 major ports and around 200 small ports hence encountering problems like congestion, delay and cost overrun.

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