The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, announced major initiatives to boost the capacity at Deendayal Port worth an investment of more than ₹57,000 crores.

Major Announcements

1.  A new Mega Shipbuilding Project with an investment of ₹30,000 crores and capacity to produce 32 new ships and repair 50 old ships every year
   1. Benefits: Develop technical capability to manufacture big Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) or similar class of vessels with capacity up to 3,20,000 tonnes DWT.
   2. Other facilities like  Marina, Fishing Harbour, Townships and Marine Industrial Cluster.
2. A New Cargo Terminal with investment of ₹27,000 crores which will add an additional 135 MTPA capacity to the Kandla Port.
   1. Benefits: Improve the waiting of Liquid Tanker Vessels and improvement in the Turnaround time of liquid vessels.
   2. Proximity to Kandla Creek  will  reduce the dredging requirement and allowing bigger vessels to dock. 

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About Deendayal Port

• Location: Kandla Port, officially known as Deendayal Port, is situated on the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat, India.
• Strategic Importance: It is one of India’s largest and busiest ports, strategically located to handle cargo from northern and western India.
• It is an Artificial port established in the 1950s after the partition of India to handle trade and alleviate congestion at the Mumbai port.
  • Renamed Deendayal Port in 2017 in honor of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.
• Type: A tidal port equipped to handle bulk, liquid, and container cargo.
• Infrastructure: Includes specialized terminals for various cargo types and a free trade zone to promote international trade.
• Free Trade Zone (FTZ): Kandla was the first port in India to establish a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), attracting industries and boosting export-oriented activities.

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