Krishnapatnam Port popularly known as KPCL is a privately built and owned all weather,
deep water port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
on the east coast of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, located in the
Nellore District of
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
. It is located about 190 km north of the
Chennai Port
Chennai Port, formerly known as Madras Port, is the second largest container port of India, behind Mumbai's Nhava Sheva. The port is the largest one in the Bay of Bengal. It is the third-oldest port among the 13 major ports of India with offic ...
and 18 km east of the city of
Nellore
Nellore is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of the district, as well as Nellore mandal and Nellore revenue division. It is the fourth most p ...
.
The port was owned and operated by the Krishnapatnam Port Company Limited (KPCL) which was 92% owned by
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...
-based CVR Group. The
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
-based equity firm
3i owned the remaining 8% equity in KPCL.
In October 2020,
Adani Ports & SEZ acquired 75% stake in the port, which increased to 100% in April 2021 with
Adani Group
Adani Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Ahmedabad. It was founded by Gautam Adani in 1988 as a commodity trading business, with the flagship company Adani Enterprises. The Group's diverse businesses include po ...
buying the residual 25% stake.
Etymology
The port has its history back to
Vijayanagar Emperor, when
Sri Krishnadevaraya used to operate it. So, the name was given to it as ''Krishnapatnam Port''.
It is also known as KPCL.
Establishment and promoters
It was inaugurated on 17 July 2008 by the
UPA Chairperson
Sonia Gandhi. The port was built by the
Navayuga Engineering Company Limited
Navayuga Engineering Company Limited (NEC Limited), the flagship entity of the Navayuga Group, started its operations in 1999 as a private limited company.
Sectors
* Special foundations
* Industrial structures
* Marine structures
* Infrastru ...
, the flagship concern of the CVR Group, under a build-operate-share-transfer (BOST) agreement with the
Government of Andhra Pradesh
Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as, GOAP, or, Andhra Government, is the subnational government for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is an elected government with 175 MLAs elected to the Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh fo ...
. The port covers an area of 4,553 acres.
The BOST agreement, valid for 30 years and further extendable to 50 years, requires the promoters to pay 2.6% of the port's gross revenue to the Government of Andhra Pradesh for the first 30 years. From the 30th year, that share increases to 5.4% and from the 40th year to 10.8%. The agreement also requires them to develop the port in three phases with the first phase being completed by January 2008, the second phase by 2012 and the final by 2017.
Connectivity and hinterland
As of 2015, KPCL is capable of handling 7.5
crore (75 million) tonnes (mt) of cargo per annum and is the deepest port of India with a draft of 18.5 metres.
The hinterland of the port includes southern and central
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
, eastern
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
, northern
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
and Eastern
Maharashtra. The port is linked to the
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
–
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
rail line through a 19 km long line and is also connected with the
National Highway 16 (India) which is being upgraded from a four-lane to a six-lane highway.
Phases of development
The first phase of development of the port involved an expenditure of 1,400 crores and was completed in 2009. In this phase the Port developed an annual cargo handling capacity of 2.5 crore tonnes (25 mt).
Two mechanised Iron Ore Berths, a mechanised Coal Berth and a mechanised General Cargo Berth were set up in this phase. The second phase of the Port's development entails an investment of $2 billion and the enhancement of cargo handling capacity by 4 crore tonnes (40 mt). By 2017, when the Port is fully developed, it is expected to handle 20 crore tonnes (200 mt) of cargo annually. The second phase of expansion will increase the total berths to twelve of which half will handle coal with the rest handling general, bulk and container cargo. The draft of the port is also to be enhanced from the present 18 metres to 21 metres.
Container terminal
In September 2012, the KPCL inaugurated its
container terminal capable of handling 12
lakh standard containers a year. This terminal is equipped with 5
Panamax gantry crane
A gantry crane is a crane built atop a gantry, which is a structure used to straddle an object or workspace. They can range from enormous "full" gantry cranes, capable of lifting some of the heaviest loads in the world, to small shop cranes, us ...
s, and 9 RTGC
rubber tyre gantry cranes overall two berths length of 725 metres and a channel depth of 13.5m allowing large vessels carrying up to 8,000 containers to dock. The second phase of its development will involve the investment of 11,000 crores and the expansion of capacity by another 48 lakh tonnes (4.8 mt). KPCL has entered into an agreement with
Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) to develop a container freight station at the port and inland container depots in the hinterland to facilitate trade through the port.
Krishnapatnam port terminal set to emerge as a major trans-shipment hub on the East Coast following dynamic initiatives being taken up by some international shipping container liners.
Cargo handled
When the port was inaugurated in 2008, iron ore constituted its most important cargo which peaked at 10.5 million tonnes in 2009-'10. Since the ban on export of iron ore from the
Bellary
Bellary, officially Ballari, in the eponymous Bellary district, is a city in the state of Karnataka, India.
History
Bellary was a part of Rayalaseema (Ceded Districts) which was part of Madras Presidency till 1 November 1956.
The Ballari ...
-
Hospet
Hospet also known as Vijayanagara is the largest city and district headquarters of the Vijayanagara district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River and is 13 km from Hampi. The present day Ha ...
region of Karnataka, its shipments have dwindled forcing the port to diversify its portfolio. Coal is now the primary commodity handled by the port, its volume having expanded from less than 1,00,000 tonnes in 2008-09 to 1.13 crore tonnes (11.3 mt) in 2011-12.
The port now also plans to handle
liquefied natural gas
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the vol ...
cargo, cars meant for exports, edible oils and fertilisers.
During 2012-13, the port handled 2.12 crore tonnes (21.2 mt) of cargo, of which three-fourths comprised imported coal. The Port handled 25.16 MT during the year 2013-14 against the target of 28 MT. The port registers very impressive growth of 60% for the year 2014-15 and ended up handling total cargo of ~4.1 crore tonnes (40.72 mt) up from 2.5 crore tonnes (25.16 MT) in the previous year.
Special economic zone
A 12,000 acre
Special Economic Zone
A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in which the business and trade laws are different from the rest of the country. SEZs are located within a country's national borders, and their aims include increasing trade balance, employment, increas ...
(SEZ) is being set up in the vicinity of the port by the Krishnapatnam Infratech Private Limited, a special purpose vehicle set up by KPCL. The SEZ entails an investment of 6,000 crores and is expected to create 30,000 direct employments. The SEZ is being designed by Mahindra Engineering and is to be a multi-product SEZ.
See also
*
Adani Ports & SEZ
*
Adani Group
Adani Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Ahmedabad. It was founded by Gautam Adani in 1988 as a commodity trading business, with the flagship company Adani Enterprises. The Group's diverse businesses include po ...
*
Navayuga Group
*
Navayuga Engineering Company Limited
Navayuga Engineering Company Limited (NEC Limited), the flagship entity of the Navayuga Group, started its operations in 1999 as a private limited company.
Sectors
* Special foundations
* Industrial structures
* Marine structures
* Infrastru ...
External links
Krishnapatnam Infratech Private LimitedKrishnapatnam Port Company Limited - KPCL
References
{{Hydrography of Andhra Pradesh
Buildings and structures in Nellore district
Transport in Nellore district
Ports and harbours of Andhra Pradesh
Navayuga Group
2008 establishments in Andhra Pradesh
Infrastructure completed in 2008
Transport infrastructure completed in 2008