MPT has excelled in many areas in 2006-07- Agarwal

Panaji, Apr 3 (UNI) Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) has excelled in many areas including handling of cargo of 34.24 million tonnes in 2006-07 as compared to 31.69 million tonnes recorded in 2005-06 which is an increase of six per cent.

MPT Chairman Praveen Agarwal, speaking to reporters on the development of the port, said MPT has excelled in many areas in 2006-07 and besides surpassing the highest levels achieved in previous years in terms of profitability, a large contribution has been made to the corpus of the pension funds of MPT.

''The port is thereby progressing rapidly towards its objective of securing the interests of it's pensioners and employees, irrespective of uncertainities of the market conditions,'' he said.

He said of the total throughput of 34.24 million tonnes, exports accounted for 27.19 million tonnes as against 25.61 in 2005-06, an increase of 6 percent. Import cargo stood at 7.5 million tonnes as against 6.08 million tonnes in 2005-06 fiscal, an increase of 16 per cent, he added.

Mr Agarwal said the port's provisional income for 2006-07 is Rs 265 crore campared to Rs 229 crore in 2005-06. There is an increase in operating income by 16 per cent over 2005-06. during the year the port has contributed Rs 38.84 crore towards pension trust fund as against Rs 15 crore contributed during 2005-06. The net surplus before the above contribution is Rs 78.84 crore as against Rs 62 crores of the previous year, he added.

He said Ports, being the last link of the export chain, have a vital role to play in the realization of economic benefits to the state as well as the Nation.

Tourism is also a major contributor to the healthy and harmonious economic development of Goa, MPT has accordingly created conditions for enabling rapid growth of the cruise tourism industry leading to healthy increase in the number of cruise vessels calling at MPT, and consequently the number of passengers coming to Goa via the sea route has gone up substantially, he said.

Star cruises - Super Star Libra, homeported in Mumbai for coastal cruising, made 52 calls with 31,659 passengers at the Mormugao Port.

Other international cruise vessels made 32 calls with 10,596 passengers.

In all, 84 calls were made by cruise vessels with 42,255 passengers during 2006-07, as against 61 calls with 29279 passeners in 2005-06, Queen Elizabeth 2, the second largest vessel to Queen Mary 2, arrived at this port on March 27, 2007 with 1,555 passengers.

UNI