BANGALORE: If all goes according to the plan, Mormugao Port could soon become the dedicated port for the import of coal for Karnataka. Though talks of considering this requirement has only begun, port authorities have stated that they are well competent to handle this responsibility.Interacting with media persons, chairman of the Mormugao Port Trust P Mara Pandian said that the port had made their willingness to have a dedicated terminal for this purpose in the next two years. As one of the oldest ports and the seventh largest in the country, the port had an annual revenue of `400 crore in the last fiscal. The port was not the biggest, he said that they compensated the lack of space with speedy dispatches of consignments. “We had about 35 per cent of our activities into iron ore, but we are diversifying into other products to ensure that exporters could use our services as well,” he informed. Stating a decline in iron ore export from 18 million tonnes in 2010-11 as against 15 million tonnes in the current fiscal, he said that there was a decline of around three million tonnes.Allaying any allegations of being the hub of illegal export of iron ore, Pandian said that the port could clear any consignment of iron ore only if there was a certificate provided by the director of mines. He stated that the location of the port was another added advantage and that star cruises were willing to operate more vessels through this port.
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