Mulapeta Port Trial Run In December With Arrival Of First Ship
The port is located 180 km from Visakhapatnam. Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board is constructing the Mulapeta Port at an estimated cost of ₹4,300 crore. The port will have four berths in the first phase, with an artificial harbour surrounded by breakwaters.
VISAKHAPATNAM: The Greenfield Mulapeta Deepwater Port in Srikakulam district will have its trial run with the first ship arriving at the port in December.
Sources in the government said if all goes well, the port will be commissioned in June next year, enabling major development in north coastal Andhra Pradesh, with three ports.
The port is located 180 km from Visakhapatnam. Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board is constructing the Mulapeta Port at an estimated cost of ₹4,300 crore. The port will have four berths in the first phase, with an artificial harbour surrounded by breakwaters. Cargo will be handled through container berths, coal berths and multipurpose cargo berths located within the harbour.
The draft of the port will be around 52 feet. It will be able to accommodate 120,000 deadweight tonnage vessels at the harbour's jetties. There are two breakwaters to protect the harbour—south breakwater, which is 2,855 metres’ long, and the 580-metre north breakwater.
The port will trigger massive development activities that will change the economic and social parameters within the region. Sources said mega industries worth ₹2 lakh crore have lined up to establish their units in the Mulapeta Port premises over 7,000 acres. Top among them are ExxonMobil of US, which produces high-performance polymers like polyethylene and polypropylene for packaging, automotive and consumer sectors, Haldia Petrochemical complex, Yamna of UK and Kalyani Steels of Mumbai.
Public sector Visakhapatnam Port Authority has also submitted an expression of interest (EoI) to Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board for making strategic investment in the Greenfield Mulapeta Port. It is strategically located to cater to bulk cargoes, such as coal, fertilisers, minerals, LNG and LPG. It offers significant logistics advantages with its proximity to industrial corridors and operability in all weather conditions.
Central government has sanctioned a 200-kilometre Greenfield coastal national highway connecting Mulapeta Port to Bhogapuram Airport in the Vizianagaram district.
