Overview
- The Visakhapatnam Port Authority said the cape‑sized bulk carrier MV GRACEOUS was successfully berthed at the EQ‑1 inner‑harbour berth, according to a VPA press release carried by PTI and News18.
- VPA reported the vessel measures about 292 metres in length, with a 45‑metre beam and a 12.2‑metre draft, dimensions typical of cape‑size ships.
- Cape‑size bulk carriers can carry around 200,000 deadweight tonnes and are too large to transit the Panama Canal so they travel via the Cape of Good Hope, requiring long, deep berths.
- Having more than one cape‑compliant berth lets Visakhapatnam handle additional fully loaded very large bulk carriers and could raise the port’s cargo handling capacity for heavy commodities.
- Only a small number of ports worldwide can receive such ships fully loaded, so the upgrade builds on prior berth and harbour works and strengthens the port’s competitiveness in global bulk shipping.