Keen to unlock as much value as possible from its assets, Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) has put up for auction two land parcels where bulk liquid cargo can be stored. Through the auction, the MPA hopes to gain revenue and also test the demand for a wider variety of cargo movement at the port.
The port has identified a total of 5,067sqm of land for e-auction where bulk liquid storage terminals can be built and operated for a five-year period.
The port has identified 1,176sqm located at the harbour near the coal dumps where a bulk liquid storage terminal can be set up.
Presently, there are two bulk liquid storage tanks which were used for storage of furnace oil and which are about 30-year-old. Thetotal storage capacity of the existing tanks is 7,800 kilo litres. Similarly, the MPA has identified 3,891sqm of land for another liquid storage terminal.
In 2021-22, the port imported and handled petroleum oil and lubricants (POL), ammonia and other types of bulk liquid cargo.
Cargo handled 0.66 million tonnes of petroleum products and other liquid cargo.
The MPA has witnessed a gradual decline in revenue ever since iron ore mining was shut down in the state. The port has been grappling with a combination of low cargo volumes, loss of market share and paucity of funds for crucial infrastructure upgradation.
The Union ministry of ports and shipping has pushed the port to utilise idle resources and find additional revenue streams through PPP routes and licensing or leasing of port land through a tender-cum-auction model.