KSPL plans ₹200 crore expansion of Offshore Supply Vessel Complex

The Kakinada Seaports Limited (KSPL) has proposed the expansion of the Offshore Supply Vessel Complex (OSVC) at the Kakinada deep-sea port at an estimated cost of ₹200 crore, aimed at additional adding four million tonnes per annum of cargo handling capacity.

At present, the deep-sea port handles above 17 MTPA per annum, which primarily consists of exports of bauxite, fertilizers, alumina, iron ore and coal apart from other cargo. The deep-sea port serves the hinterlands of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. 

The OSVC expansion proposal includes the extension of the existing finger jetty by 360 metres and the construction of a new 275-metre finger jetty on the eastern side of the port.

Defence needs:

In an executive summary submitted to the Andhra Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (APPCB), the KSPL said: “The OSVC will support the accommodation of defence vessels of the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. It will also strengthen offshore logistics capability for oil and natural gas exploration.”

On February 6, the APPCB conducted an environmental public hearing on the proposed project, for which environmental clearance is yet to be accorded by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary lies 2.5 kilometres away from the deep-sea port and Hope Island is nearly four kilometres away.

The expansion is likely to be completed within two years from the date of receiving the required clearances, including environmental clearance by the MoEFCC. Built by the Andhra Pradesh State government in 1997 under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) method, the deep-sea port is being operated by the KSPL.