In India, the Cochin Port Trust is planning an eco-friendly coal handling terminal at the Mattancherry Wharf. To date, coal has been stacked in the open air and the port handles just 1000 tpa. With the new handling system, the terminal should be able to handle 5 million tpa of coal in a covered facility on a 17-hectare plot.
Authorities have invited tender for the project, which will cater to the cement and steel industries in Kerala and neighbouring states. Four cement companies already operate terminals at the port where cement is unloaded from ships, packed into bags and distributed through Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. “A similar eco-friendly facility is being developed by augmenting the existing facilities at north and south coal berths of Mattancherry Wharf,” the Port Authorities said. Tenders for the Rs.168 crore project will be received up to 20 September, and the contract is expected to be signed by the end of this fiscal, pending environmental permits. The Port already has a railway line and is a major port on the African route.
Edited from various sources by Katherine Guenioui