The Karnataka Cabinet has approved two port and shipbuilding projects worth Rs 72.47 billion under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. The larger Rs 69.25 billion project at Manki in Uttara Kannada will be developed on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer basis over a 45-year concession. Its first phase comprises a 15 million tonnes per annum all-weather deep-water multipurpose port, capable of handling coal; iron ore; limestone; fertilisers; petroleum, oil and lubricants; containers and steel products; with capacity to berth vessels of up to 180,000 deadweight tonnage.
The second phase may involve additional port capacity or a shipyard with annual production of 0.3-0.5 million gross tonnes. The Rs 3.22 billion greenfield shipyard at Gangolli Beach, Kundapura, will be designed to build three handysize vessels annually.