News - Gujarat Pipavav Port to invest $50m in draft increase

Gujarat Pipavav Port Limited (GPPL) reports that it is to invest INR 260 crore (approximately $50 million) in a dredging project that will improve accessibility to the port, located in the State of Gujarat, 153 nautical miles northwest of Mumbai, by increasing draft to 14.5 metres.

GPPL has entered into a contract with Zinkcon Marine (Singapore) Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Royal Boskalis Westminster, to undertake the project, which is scheduled to be completed by mid- 2009. Port Pipavav is India’s first private sector port.

“We are strongly committed to investment and growth in the port," said Philip Littlejohn, GPPL Managing Director.

"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."

"“With the deeper draft, Pipavav offers a safe port for the ever larger container vessels that cannot call at major ports in India."

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