The Hindu Business Line : Vizag port iron ore traffic seen rising

VISAKHAPATNAM port's iron ore traffic for exports in the current financial year (2003-04), it is estimated, will be up by about two million tonnes (mt) over the previous year (2002-03).

The throughput in the current year is estimated to be around 12.1 mt as compared to 10.3 mt in the previous year. The bulk of the traffic in the current year, about 10 mt, is being handled by the port's ore handling complex and the balance, about 2.1 mt, in the inner harbour.

In 2002-03, the ore handling complex handled about 7.92 mt and the inner harbour about 2.4 mt.

On Wednesday, the ore handling complex completed loading of 148,000 tonnes of ore in the vessel, "m.v. Platanas". This was the highest ever loading of iron ore in a single ship, surpassing the previous best of 140,924 tonnes in the vessel, "m.v. Rubin Crane" in August 1999.

But for the jump in iron traffic, the port would have recorded a negative growth in total traffic throughput. According to sources, Visakhapatnam Port Trust is to end up the current financial year with an estimated throughput of 47.5 mt as compared to 46 mt in 2002-03. This will fall short of the port's own internal target of 48 mt and the Ministry's target of 49 mt. The drop in coal, both thermal coal for coastal movement and imported coking coal, as well as foodgrains traffic is believed to have caused shortfall of more than 1.5 mt. The drop in thermal coal traffic will be about seven lakh tonnes, coking coal about 1.6 lakh tonnes and in foodgrains traffic about eight lakh tonnes, it is learnt. The oil traffic, both crude and product, is likely to remain unchanged at the last year's level of about 17 mt.