India: Seaports and Shipping

[Ajaypp]

Wave of consolidation —Ever bigger container ships



Jose Paul

The world's largest container shipping line — the Maersk Line — pressed into service the largest container ship Emma Maersk in September 2006. At 1,58,000 DWT, a length of 397 m, width of 56.4 m and loaded capacity of 11,000 TEU, this was one of the eight ships ordered at one stroke. Eyebrows were raised at that time in container shipping circles whether this venture would prove to be a successful one or not. But the critics have been proved wrong.

Emma Maersk has been operating in the Europe-Asia trades for the last one year to almost 100 per cent of its capacity, giving the Maersk Line considerable economies of scale that other lines will not be able to achieve at least for some years. The competitors have been watching the performance of Emma Maersk intensely and on their finding that bigger and larger ships have been making handsome gains, apart from becoming market leaders, there has been an unprecedented new build-order frenzy that has left the container shipping industry spell-bound. Here are some astonishing facts and figures.

By the end of June 2007, the world order books of container ships reached 1,259 vessels, representing 51.1 per cent of the active cellular capacity of container ships that are already in operation. As on July 1 2007, the fully cellular fleet reached 4,098 ships with a total capacity of 10.08 million TEU (equivalent to 15.75 per cent growth over the last 12 months).

The bigger, the better

Maersk Line took delivery of another titan Ebba Maersk, the fifth in a series of eight vessels already ordered — quietly increasing the size from the original capacity of 11,000 TEU to 12,508 TEU from its Odensa-Lindo Shipyard in Denmark. In its quest to remain world's No. 1 carrier, the Maersk Line contracted with Bertram Rickmers four 13,100 TEU vessels on charter for a period of 10 years with an option for two consecutive extensions of 30 months each.

Another four are thought to be in the offing. Soon after Maersk Line's bombshell, the second largest container shipping line, the Mediterranean Shipping Line, is reported to have quietly upgraded the size of a series of 9,600 TEU ships already on order to more than 11,000 TEU.

Though precise details are hard to come by, these may be the eight ships that are likely to be built by Samsung Heavy Industries and are now set to be re-specified at 13,300 TEU. The orders placed for container ships in excess of 12,000 TEU are given in the Table.

According to one calculation, from April 2007, container ship owners have signed up to at least $16 billion worth of orders for the new generation of box ships with theoretical capacity in excess of 12,000 TEU. Latest numbers compiled by AXS Alfaliner put the order book for ships in excess of 12,000 TEU at an incredible 98, the bulk of which has been contracted in the past four months and each costing around $160 million (about Rs 656 crore). The question that is raised in container shipping circles is whether there will be a matching increase or not in cargo volumes to fill the huge increase in container slot capacity? In actual fact, cargo volumes have been surging ahead.

While globally there are fewer carriers today than ten years ago, the same global carriers continued to expand in the new markets. As a result, the number of carriers providing services to a specific port actually increased for the majority of countries. How does the entry of very large container ships and the global concentration in container shipping affect the world ports? Many important container ports in the world seem to have realised that their port development plans should have an in-built capability to accommodate these giant carriers so that they are not left out in a highly competitive port services market.

Investment capability

In view of the heavy capital investment needed to create such terminal infrastructure, governments and port authorities are increasingly making use of the expertise and investment capability of internationally reputed container terminal operators to build, own, operate and transfer such container terminals for periods ranging from 25 to 50 years.

The top seven container terminal operators are Hutchison Port Holding, PSA Corporation, APM Terminals, DP World, Eurogate, SSA Marine and Cosco-Pacific. According to an Unctad study, in 2006, the combined market share of the top four container terminal operators was 44.2 per cent compared with 34 per cent in 2003. Does this not lead to a weak competitive environment in the container terminal services market?

(The author, a former Chairman, Mormugao Port Trust, is a visiting professor, Manipal University. Email: drjospaul@rediffmail.com)

These giants typically have drafts of around 16 m or more, which rules out almost all existing Indian ports, unless major dredging is done.

Only ports like Mundra, Kakkinada and the upcoming Vizhinjam in Kerala, will be capable of handling these behemoths as of now, since these ports have drafts of 18 m and above.

Now that the 13,000 TEU mark has been breached, it is not hard to visualise the 18,500 TEU Malacca-max super-giants in another 5-6 years, if not sooner.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...0150680600.htm

[robin_a_p]

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...0250010700.htm

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 1 As many as 28 companies have so far bought the request for proposal (RFP) in response to the fresh tender floated by the Kerala Government for developing the proposed international container transshipment terminal at Vizhinjam, near here.
Foreign cos

Six foreign companies are among those which have bought RFP and they include Maersk, Singapore Port Authority, Marubeni Shipping Company of Japan and Dredging International of Belgium, according to official sources.
Indian firms

The Indian firms include Reliance, Zoom Developers, L&T, Gammon India, BPL India, Jupiter Capital, Nagarjuna Group and Mehtas (both based in Hyderabad). Of them, Mumbai-based Zoom Developers, in a consortium arrangement with two Chinese companies, and Gammon India were the two companies left in the last leg of the race for contract when the tender was floated last time.

Though the consortium led by Zoom Developers subsequently won the tender, the contract could not be finalised for want of security clearance from the Centre. This necessitated floating of the fresh tender. The last date for submitting the bids is October 31.

The terminal is being implemented in three phases at a total outlay of Rs 5,348 crore. The work on the first phase, costing Rs 2,390 crore, is slated to begin some time next year after finalising the contract.

Meanwhile, Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL), formed by the State Government to facilitate the implementation of the container terminal, has started the preliminary work on putting in place the basic infrastructure for the project such as rail and road connectivity, electricity and water supply. The total cost of the work is estimated around Rs 80 crore.

VISL has entered into an agreement with Kerala Water Authority (KWA) for supply of water to the project area and is in discussions with the Kerala State Electricity Board to ensure electricity supply. It has also entrusted RITES to carry out a study on providing road and rail connectivity for the project.

[Ajaypp]

Vizhinjam box terminal tender draws 28 firms so far


Mony K. Mathew

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 1 As many as 28 companies have so far bought the request for proposal (RFP) in response to the fresh tender floated by the Kerala Government for developing the proposed international container transshipment terminal at Vizhinjam, near here.

Foreign cos

Six foreign companies are among those which have bought RFP and they include Maersk, Singapore Port Authority, Marubeni Shipping Company of Japan and Dredging International of Belgium, according to official sources.
Indian firms

The Indian firms include Reliance, Zoom Developers, L&T, Gammon India, BPL India, Jupiter Capital, Nagarjuna Group and Mehtas (both based in Hyderabad). Of them, Mumbai-based Zoom Developers, in a consortium arrangement with two Chinese companies, and Gammon India were the two companies left in the last leg of the race for contract when the tender was floated last time.

The last date for submitting the bids is October 31.

The terminal is being implemented in three phases at a total outlay of Rs 5,348 crore. The work on the first phase, costing Rs 2,390 crore, is slated to begin some time next year after finalising the contract.

Meanwhile, Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL), formed by the State Government to facilitate the implementation of the container terminal, has started the preliminary work on putting in place the basic infrastructure for the project such as rail and road connectivity, electricity and water supply. The total cost of the work is estimated around Rs 80 crore.

Vizhinjam will be capable of handling the current 12-13,000 TEU behemoths almost from the word go. 18 m sea depth is already available within 1 Km of the sea shore. This can be increased to up to 24 m with only minimal capital dredging.

[Bombay Boy]

Originally Posted by Ajaypp

These giants typically have drafts of around 16 m or more, which rules out almost all existing Indian ports, unless major dredging is done.

Only ports like Mundra, Kakkinada and the upcoming Vizhinjam in Kerala, will be capable of handling these behemoths as of now, since these ports have drafts of 18 m and above.

Now that the 13,000 TEU mark has been breached, it is not hard to visualise the 18,500 TEU Malacca-max super-giants in another 5-6 years, if not sooner.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...0150680600.htm

next 3-4 years should see rewas (20 m) and nhava sheva (16 m) also being capable of handling these ships. not sure what bombay port's draft will be after the dredging

[Cov Boy]

That's a great Port.

[IndiansUnite]

Gujarat’s own Jebel Ali - Dahej Maritime City

Gandhinagar: Gleaming corporate offices, glitzy hotels, sprawling green spaces, swanky malls and residential complexes — all these towering over a bustling port packed with rows of ships loading goods fresh off the industrial units just nextdoor.
No, this is not Dubai. We’re talking about Gujarat’s own Jebel Ali in the making at Dahej in the Gulf of Cambay.
‘Dahej Maritime City’ will be developed by GVK Power & Infrastructure which won the bid for the project. The maritime city will sprawl over 10,000 hectares and is modelled on the lines of Dubai’s Jebel Ali with an inward investment potential of Rs 25,000 crore, company officials said. Dahej has its advantages. Being the first port of call under the proposed Delhi-Mumbai freight corridor, it is strategically located to serve the stretch.
Moreover, Dahej-Bharuch region is one of the six investment zones under the Delhi-Mumbai investment corridor plan. GVK will rope in globally renowned consultants to develop Dahej. It has sought state government support for allotment and acquisition of 10,000 hectares of land.

[TOI]

[bobbie501]

Iron Ore Exports Run Into Snags at Ports

P. Manoj

Mumbai: India’s iron ore exports may fall by as much as 5%, or 5 million tonnes (mt) this year due to problems at three major loading ports at Mormugao, Paradip and Visakhapatnam, says a Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association official.
“The overall export of iron ore may decline by about 5mt this year due to various port problems, an extended monsoon in Goa and bottlenecks in the movement of the commodity from origin to the export port,” said S. Sridhar, executive director of association.
Goa accounted for more than 43%, or 40.53mt, of India’s total exports of 93.79mt of ore in the 12 months to March. Out of this, the Union government-run Mormugao port handled 26.56mt, while the state government-owned Panjim port handled 13.97mt.
The months between October and March are the peak exporting months, but exporters are facing a technical snag at Mormugao’s mechanical ore handling plant, which has “reduced the loading capacity by almost 50%,” said Sridhar.
One of the two shiploaders, with a capacity to handle 4,000 tonnes per hour, has been out of action since July and is unlikely to be operational till December, said an official at Mormugao port who did not wish to be named.
Every year, beginning 15 July, the plant at Mormugao is shut for routine maintenance work. This coincides with the monsoon, which is also when mines take a two-month break.
From the time the ore handling plant resumed operations on 15 September till 1 December when the second shiploader is likely to resume work, Mormugao will likely have handled only 1.17mt of iron ore compared with the 2.53mt ore it handled in the year-ago period. Hence, exports will fall by 1.36mt in the same period, the official said.
Machinery outages have also taken their toll at Paradip port on the country’s east coast, which shipped 11.94mt of iron ore during 2006-07.
“Though the situation has improved recently in Paradip, the problems at the two ports have combined to reduce the quantity of ore exported from India by as much as 1.5mt a month,” wrote UK-based shipbroker Braemar Seascope in its weekly ship chartering report dated 1 November.
Vizag port has decided not to berth iron ore vessels from 1 November that are unable to load an average of 1,500 tonnes per hour in outer berths 1&2 as this causes congestion. In a separate circular dated 2 November, the port said it would allow a maximum of two iron ore vessels at a time for manual loading at its inner harbour berths.
Ships not sure of achieving a minimum loading rate of 10,000 tonnes per day would not be considered for allotment of berths at all, the circular said. Exporters shipped 5.42mt of ore through Vizag port in 2006-07.

[IndiansUnite]

Govt approves offshore container terminal in Mumbai

New Delhi - The Indian government approved on Thursday the setting up of an offshore container terminal (OCT) in Mumbai to be built by a consortium of two Indian firms and a Spanish one.

The decision to form the 312-million-dollar project was taken by the federal Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs and will enable Mumbai Port Trust (MPT) in the western state Maharashtra to handle large-sized container vessels and add to its capacity by 9.6 million tonnes per annum.

The OCT will be executed on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis, by MPT, through an agreement with a consortium of three companies, Gammon India Ltd, Gammon Infrastructure Limited and Spain's Dragados SPL.

'The container terminal will enable the port to handle large-size container vessels and thereby save precious foreign exchange,' said Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

The offshore terminal is to be completed in 36 months while funding would be fully through internal accruals, said Chidambaram.

The consortium will execute the project, and MPT will provide infrastructure support like dredging, navigational aids, and laying of tracks for a rail container depot.

The OCT will help augment growth in trade, employment generation, incremental regional economic development, and provide a cost-effective gateway for imports and exports for industries in the nearby Special Economic Zones and the opening of the retail sector, said Chidambaram.

[IndiansUnite]

Dubai Port World plans $500 m more investment in India

Dubai Port (DP) World, leading global port operator with 42 container terminals across 22 countries, has announced that it would invest another $500 million in the next few years in India, taking its total investments to $2 billion in the country so far.

The company is scouting for opportunities in the areas of back-up infrastructure for port operations, including providing facilities to connect various special economic zones, dry ports and inland container depots (ICDs) across the country to container ports via rail and road, Mr Ganesh Raj, Managing Director and Senior Vice-President of the company’s subcontinental operations said.

Read On

[bobbie501]

Krishnapatnam port first phase to be ready by June

K.V. Kurmanath


Hyderabad, Nov 15

When the Rs 8,000-crore Krishnapatnam port in Nellore district is completed fully in 2011-12, it is going to be a major container hub, where the big mother ships could anchor, offload their cargo onto smaller ships.

The first phase of the port, which is being taken up with an outlay of Rs 1,200 crore, would be ready by June 2008 with four berths, far ahead of the original December deadline. “The other two phases will be taken up simultaneously. We hope to complete the phases by 2011-12,” Mr C.V. Rao, Chairman and Managing Director of Navayuga Group, told Business Line.

State concession


The group bagged the 50-year concession from the Andhra Pradesh Government to upgrade the existing minor port into a modern deep-drafted multipurpose port.

When all the phases are functional, the port would have a total key wall length (berthing) of 11.5-km, making it easy for ship traffic. Stating that the port would have great potential on the East Coast, he said the Chennai port could not handle the ‘dirty cargo’ (iron ore and coal) after 2008, just in time when Krishnapatnam port would be ready.

Thanks to its proximity, the port would become a location for Tamil Nadu and Karnataka as well. Besides, power units, with a total generation capacities of 10-12,000 MW would be coming up in the area.

The Government sanctioned a special economic zone (SEZ) at Krishnapatnam, further enhancing the potential of the port. To take care of the upcoming industries, the Navayuga group is also setting up a Rs 1,000-crore desalination project with a capacity of 100 MLD. “This will take care of the water needs of the industries in the region,” Mr Rao said.

Connectivity


Keeping in mind the future traffic needs of the place, a Rs 600-crore 114-km railway track is being laid, connecting the port with Obulavaripalli in Kadapa district.

[bobbie501]

VPT attracts more Panamax vessels INDUSTRY DOSSIER

Santosh Patnaik



Night navigation for Suez max tankers soon



VISAKHAPATNAM: In a welcome development, the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT), which is continuing its supremacy over other ports in cargo handling, is attracting a large number of Panamax vessels after the first phase of deepening in Outer Harbour.

The VPT, which was handling vessels with 195 metres LOA (length over all) and 10.21 m draft till recently, has attained the capability to handle Panamax vessels of 230 m LOA, 32.5 m beam and 0.7 m. draft with progress in completion of Inner Harbour deepening.

The port is catering to Panamax vessels with 11 m draft. It will have night navigation for Suez max tankers calling at Outer Harbour shortly, once it is widened further.

The VPT has undertaken work on augmenting its capacity by deepening the channels in the second half of 2005-06.

Arrival of bigger ships will give the trade a better freight advantage over others, thereby decongesting the Outer Harbour.

The second phase of deepening the Inner Harbour is proposed through one of the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) operator to facilitate arrival of Panamax vessels of 12.5 m draft.

Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and Steel Authority of India Limited are the major beneficiaries due to arrival of Panamax vessels.

While SAIL is getting coking coal from Australia for its units in other States, VSP is nominating gearless Panamax vessels. Steam coal is also being brought for various steel plants.

Ambitious plan


Encouraged by its distinctive advantage over other rivals and works underway to modernise the port infrastructure with massive investment of little over Rs.3,000 crores, VPT Chairman K. Ratna Kishore has prepared an ambitious plan to project the Visakhapatnam Port as the most preferred destination in South Asia offering world-class services.

Reduced turnaround and waiting time, most competitive handling charges and providing seamless connectivity are identified as the thrust areas. BOT berths, installation of harbour mobile cranes on BOT, replacement of higher capacity tug, procurement of one high power loco and modernisation of iron ore handling complex are on top of the agenda.

[Euromast]

World’s largest producer of marine propulsion engines, MAN Diesel, commenced production of its medium speed engines in India a fortnight ago at its Aurangabad plant in Maharashtra.

It is the first time that the world leader of large-bore diesel engines for marine and power plants has begun production of its 3,000 to 4,000 kW capacity engines in a factory outside Europe.

“We have started making these engines at our Aurangabad factory, a facility we had taken over from a British company some years ago and had been left lying idle,” said Leon J Andersen, joint managing director of MAN Diesel India. “The Aurangabad facility has helped to kick-start our operations.

Source

[Euromast]

MUMBAI: DP World has awarded the $150-million civil construction contract for the first phase of International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam (Kochi) to Simplex Consortium, a domestic civil engineering and construction major.

Just a week ago, DP World had threatened that it may be forced to pull out of the ICTT project if strikes continued to paralyse operations at Kochi terminal.

Source

[Ajaypp]

Tapping Vizhinjam’s potential

Jose Paul

Recent reports suggest that the South Korean shipyard Samsung Heavy Industries is building the world’s largest container ship of 16,000 TEU with 20 per cent more capacity than the current largest container ships of 13,000 TEU. With a length of 400 metres, drawing a draught of 18 m when fully loaded, this behemoth is expected to begin regular service by 2011.

By that time, it is expected that about 200 giant container ships of 10,000 TEU capacity and above are likely to be in active service. These giant ships may draw a draught ranging from 15-18 m and they will be very selective in their port calls.

Putting it in context

Concept designs for building even larger container ships are already on the drawing board and they may draw draught up to 20 metres. The attractiveness of Vizhinjam as a mega container trans-shipment terminal becomes relevant in this context. The current port development plans on the East and the West coasts of India do not seem to envisage a deep water port capable of permitting draught of 20 m or even more. Vizhinjam appears to be in a unique position in the extreme south-west coast of India, capable of providing such deep water within about just three km from the shore line.

Once a huge break water is constructed and one-time capital dredging is completed, in view of the relatively low littoral drift and natural deep water environment, the expenditure to be incurred on annual maintenance dredging to keep the access channel deep enough to permit ships drawing a draught of 20 m is reported to be comparatively insignificant.

The new container terminal that is coming up at Vallarpadam in Kochi is designed to permit container ships of 8,000 TEU drawing a draught of 14.5 m and in order to permit such vessels to enter the new terminal Cochin port will have to not only deepen but also widen the channel from 175 m to 280 m and lengthen it from 11 to 14 km.

On a rough estimate, the CPT will have to incur a maintenance dredging cost of at least about Rs 80 crore every year from the year 2010 when the new terminal becomes operational. The fact that Vizhinjam may be able to provide vessels drawing a draught of 20 m at less than one-fifth of the cost at Kochi is yet another attraction for Vizhinjam to emerge as a mega container trans-shipment terminal in the entire South Asian region.

A strong case

One of the key requirements of any port to be developed as a container transshipment terminal is its geographical location. The most profitable route in international container shipping is the Asia- Europe route. All the present giant container ships, such as the Ebba Maersk, are deployed on this route and such ships generally load to full capacity in view of the booming trade with China. Since China and India are going to be the economic power houses to the world and the key manufacturing bases for America and the Europe, bigger and larger vessels are more likely to be deployed on this route.

Once these giant box ships leave the Chinese ports of Shanghai and Hong Kong the next port of call is Singapore and after Singapore there is no other Asian port where such super large container ships call at before they pass through the Suez Canal and reach the Mediterranean ports.

Vizhinjam, in close proximity of the international shipping route involving a diversion of just 20 nautical miles, could become a desirable stopover for such vessels before they proceed to transit the Suez. It is pertinent to bear in mind that the Government of Sri Lanka is putting its best efforts to take up construction of Colombo’s South Harbour project to make it the newest and the most competitive port in South Asia precisely to attract such giant container ships as an ideal transshipment base.

While Colombo’s South Harbour Project could possibly offer a draught of 18 m, Vizhinjam could still be ahead, offering deeper waters in a more competitive environment. International shipping companies will certainly factor in India’s fast growing economy and the consequent increase in trade volumes and also the fact that 80 per cent of all Colombo’s traffic is transshipped from Indian ports. The emergence of a mega port in Vizhinjam could result in such traffic not finding its way to Colombo but naturally to an Indian port.

Can a mega container transshipment terminal survive depending entirely on transshipment traffic?

While it would be desirable to have a local cargo base to ward off uncertainties in an environment of fluctuating traffic, there are ports that depend almost entirely on transshipment cargo. For the world’s 19th largest container port, namely Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia, which handles 5 million TEU annually, transshipment traffic accounts for 94 per cent of its total cargo traffic.

The Hindu Businessline

[Euromast]

//

Indira Container Terminal, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) incorporated by the consortium of Gammon and Dragados S.P.L, signed the licence agreement with Mumbai Port Trust for developing the Mumbai offshore container terminal project.

According to a release issued by Gammon to the BSE today, the agreement was signed yesterday.

"The estimated project cost is about Rs 800 crore in the initial phase of three years and another Rs 400 crore subsequently thus aggregating about Rs 1,200 crore. The project is on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis for 30 years including three years of construction & equipping period from the date of signing the agreement," the release added

.

[ajay_ijn]

except Mumbai port, why is that all others ports have low-container handling capacity?.
or is it that most of the Indian trade consists of petroleum & general cargo like mineral ores?

[Ajaypp]

Zero growth for Cochin Port

Staff Reporter

Chairman blames it on strike

Port recorded 10% growth in 2006-07

Strikes take away 66 working days since April 2005

KOCHI: The Cochin Port Trust recorded zero growth so far this fiscal, mainly because of workers’ strikes, its chairman, N. Ramachandran, said here on Thursday.

At a meeting convened here to discuss the fallout of frequent strikes, he said the port recorded a 10 per cent growth last year. The many strikes this year and the resultant uncertainty about cargo handling had resulted in ships destined for Kochi unloading goods at ports such as Tuticorin. Since April 2005, the port lost 66 working days because of strikes, affecting the handling of containers. This had affected the goodwill enjoyed by the port.

Now, the port was heavily dependant on crude oil meant for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd., for its sustenance. This revenue was set to fall, with the commissioning of the Single-Point Mooring Facility for the Kochi refinery, Mr. Ramachandran said.

Later, briefing presspersons, Labour Minister P.K. Gurudasan, who chaired the session, said that steps had been taken to prevent strikes. But he did not reveal the methodology that would be adopted for the purpose.

He said that trade unions had promised support for the smooth running of the port. Mr. Gurudasan said that conditions in the agreement signed with workers would be changed only after consulting trade unions. The meeting was inconclusive on how to prevent frequent strikes.

Many prominent unions did not attend the talks.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/07/stor...0761550300.htm

About time, things were patched up, else Cochin risks falling by the wayside in the victory march of Indian maritime trade.

With the establishment of the Vizhinjam deep water port in another 3 years, CPT may lose further cargo as the former has greater draught and is much closer to the main international shipping lanes.

[Cov Boy]

except Mumbai port, why is that all others ports have low-container handling capacity?. or is it that most of the Indian trade consists of petroleum & general cargo like mineral ores?

Lack of investment and expansion I guess mainly being Govt. controlled.

I know the Govt. is started to change this by getting private companies to operate the Ports.

[ajay_ijn]

India to spend 750 crore Rs for container port in West Bengal
http://in.reuters.com/article/busine...30909920071210
KOLKATA (Reuters) - India will spend 7.5 billion rupees to set up a container port in West Bengal, shipping minister T.R. Baalu said on Monday.

The first phase of the project will be completed by 2011/12, he told reporters.

The port will have initial capacity to handle one million tonnage equivalent units of container traffic and on completion 6.4 million tonnage equivalent units, the minister said.

[ajay_ijn]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/IK27Df01.html
Gujarat's 41 ports handle 80% of India's port traffic and 20% of its cargo. It is estimated that by 2015, Gujarat's ports will handle 39% of India's cargo.

Gujarat is aggressively promoting four private ports - Mundra, Pipapav, Kandla and Dholera. And Mundra port where Indian Oil Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum are setting up giant oil storage capacities has already emerged as India's largest private oil storage tank farm. Sixty percent of India's coal imports enter via Mundra port. Mundra’s importance is likely to soar further with the completion of mega power plants being set up by Adanis and Tatas.

The volume of cargo handled by Mundra and Kandla ports alone has outstripped that handled by Mumbai’s ports - the Mumbai Port Trust and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust.