The foundation stone for an additional Liquid Cargo Jetty was laid at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai today, by the Union Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge), Mansukh Mandaviya. The project is being undertaken to cater to the increased demand for handling of liquid cargo like POL, LPG, edible oil, molasses and chemicals etc. in the country. It will provide berthing to ships carrying liquid cargo. The new liquid jetty will be built at a cost of about Rs 309 crore.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Mandaviya said, “The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has laid focus on port-led development. Keeping this in view, India’s ports are being developed and modernized in line with global best practices.”“There is an increased domestic and industrial demand for liquid commodities like LPG etc in the country, with PM’s plans to reach gas stoves to every home. The present liquid cargo capacity of JNPT is around 6.5 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA). The new terminal for which foundation is being laid today, will increase this capacity by 4.5 MTPA. This will help to better fulfill national requirements and be good for the port too ”, said the Minister.Earlier, the Minister attended meetings with CEOs of all Terminal Operators, port users, service providers and JNPT officers. This was Shri Mandaviya’s first visit to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India’s number one container port, after taking over charge of the Shipping Ministry. The main goal of the visit was to interact with various stakeholders in order to gain a comprehensive overview on the overall port operations, recent developments and the strategic roadmap ahead for JNPT to become amongst the best ports globally.After the foundation stone laying ceremony, the Minister visited the fourth container terminal (BMCTPL) and JNPT SEZ Site.Chairman, JNPT, Shri Sanjay Sethi was also present on the occasion.