The Hindu Business Line : Haldia dock shortlists 3 cos for cargo berth

THREE firms — Skanska, Navajug and Simplex — are believed to have been short-listed from among the bidders by Haldia dock authorities in September for the construction of berth Number 13 in the dock.

Estimated to cost Rs 40 crore, the multipurpose cargo berth will have a backup area of about 15,000 sq metre.

It might be noted that Skanska has already secured the contract for civil construction of berth Number Two at the dock.

The cost of civil construction, which will also include construction of an arterial road, is estimated at Rs 24.6 crore.

The total cost of the berth will be much more at Rs 48 crore as it will also include development of a backup area of about 50,000 sq metre, and construction of a railway line (full rake) with the provision for a second line.

Berth Number Two will mainly handle bulk cargo, both of dry and liquid varieties.

Dock sources indicate that the technical bids for berth Number 13 have been opened and the discussion is in progress with the short-listed bidders. The price bids would be opened soon and the dock authorities are keen to finalise the selection of the contractor as early as possible.

"We would like to have the name of the selected contractor approved by the Board of Trustees at its meeting due in December," the sources say.

The urgency on the part of the dock authorities to augment capacity is understandable. The traffic throughput so far in the current fiscal at 23.9 million tonnes posted a growth of about 17 per cent.

At this rate, the dock will touch the 50-mt level shortly, provided the additional cargo handling facilities too are created at the same time. In 2004-05, the dock handled a total of 36.2 mt of traffic and the figure for the current fiscal is estimated to be well over 40 mt.

Precisely for the same reason, the dock authorities are mulling construction of two more berths on the waterfront, as compared to the Numbers Two and 13, which will be located within the impounded dock system.

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