DIGHI PORT successfully handles one of the largest vessels to call Maharashtra

After successfully handling a gearless post – panamax in January this year, M/s Dighi Port Ltd has achieved another significant milestone by handling a Capesize vessel carrying coal for one of the largest coal importers in the country.

Vessel ‘MV Luciana Della Gatta’ having a LOA of 269 meters, a DWT of 122,760 MTs and carrying steam coal berthed Dighi Port on 2nd May 2013 at 1748 hrs. This is the largest bulk carrier to call Dighi Port and one of the largest vessels to call any port in Maharashtra.

The discharge operation which commenced at 2010 hours on 2nd May 2013 was carried out by the ports 2 Gottwald Mobile Harbour Cranes. The port was able to achieve an average discharge rate of more than 800 MTs per hour. The port has been handling regular shipments of Bauxite, Steel and Coal and has handled over 3.5 million tons of cargo till date. The port has handled approximately half a million MTs of cargo during the current year.

Dighi Port is being developed by M/s Balaji Infra Projects Ltd (BIPL) and is the first and the largest Greenfield port of Maharashtra. It is being developed as a multipurpose, multi-cargo, all-weather port with deep draught, direct berthing facilities and modern cargo handling equipments with adequate stack yards and warehousing facilities, back up areas with an ample land bank of approximately 1600 acres.

The port is located on the banks of the Rajpuri Creek, in the Raigad District of Maharashtra. It is at a distance of 42 nautical miles (NM) from Mumbai Port and 160kms south of Mumbai by road. The port is connected by the State Highways to the National Highway 17, which is 45kms from the port. The nearest Konkan Railway Rail Head Indapur – Mangaon is 47kms from the port. M/s Dighi Port Ltd has all the necessary approvals for setting up of a dedicated railway line to the port.

The port is being developed on the 2 banks of the Rajpuri Creek. The South Bank will have 2 berths offering a total quay length of 650m and will be used for handling all dry bulk, break-bulk, liquid cargo. The 3 berths on the north bank are under construction and will offer a total quay length of 1100m will be used for handling containers and all other clean cargo. The port has commenced operations on the first berth and has been regularly handling export as well as import cargo in the form of Bauxite and Steel and has handled approximately 3.5 million MTs of cargo till date.

Dighi Port is also part of the prestigious Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and the Dighi Port area has been included in the Government of India’s new Manufacturing Policy as one of the 7 mega manufacturing as a National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ).