The New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) has taken up a slew of initiatives to revive its various cargo handling facilities. Work on a mechanised berth for handling coal is in the final stages and will be ready by March. According to NMPT, the mechanised operations are scheduled to commence from Berth 16 by Chettinad Mangalore Coal Terminal in March. The berth is being constructed at a cost of about Rs 4.70 billion. At present, coal handling is semi-mechanised at the port.

Meanwhile, the multi-purpose Berth 14 would be developed as a container terminal. The project will be taken up in two phases with an investment of Rs 2.81 billion. After awarding the project to the successful bidder, the first phase will be completed in 18 months, according to the Port Trust authorities. NMPT is also planning to develop Berth 17 as a multi-purpose berth with an investment of around Rs 2 billion from its own resources. The Berth 17 would be ready for handling multi-purpose cargo by the time Berth 14 is ready for handling container cargo in two years.