The Hindu Business Line : Paradip-Ennore route — Coal shipments set to decline as 2 colliers go for dry-docking

With only one of the three dedicated colliers being in service, the Paradip Port has to depend to a large extent on topping up operation for coal shipments.

Kolkata , Feb. 20

AS two of the three dedicated colliers operating between Paradip and Ennore ports are sent for dry-docking, the thermal coal shipments on the route are set for a decline.

"APJ Sridevi" is already gone and "Gem of Ennore" is to follow suit soon. They will not return before May. Only "Rani Padmini", the third dedicated collier, will continue to be in operation.

Shipping sources, however, claim that the decision to send the ships on dry-docking has been taken only after reviewing the stock position as well as the level of requirement.

Right now, the thermal coal stock with Tamil Nadu Electricity Board is comfortable, thanks to the support provided by the hydel power station. In other words, the withdrawal of vessels from the service and the consequent drop in thermal coal shipments will in no way hit TNEB's power generation, it is pointed out.

However, PPT has reasons to feel upset. Till January, the thermal coal throughput at 7.8 million tonnes was lower by about one mt as compared to 8.8 mt in the same period of the previous year. At this rate, the total thermal coal throughput at the end of March might be around 9.5 mt as compared to 10.5 mt in 2004-05.

With only one of the three dedicated colliers being in service, the port has to depend to a large extent on topping up operation for coal shipments.

The essence of the topping up operation is this: the vessels first load at Haldia, the volume of loading being determined by the level draft available in the Hooghly river. A shallow draft restricts loading. The gap is filled up at Paradip.

In such an arrangement, the average loading per ship per sailing at Paradip comes to around 20,000 tonnes. It is learnt that three colliers - Tamil Anna, Tamil Periyar and Tamil Kamaraj - normally shuttling between Haldia and Tuticorin, might now be pressed into topping up operation.

It might be noted that thermal coal linkage for Paradip port has been systematically pruned in past one year - from 7.9 lakh tonnes a months in the first quarter (April to June 2005-06) to 6.45 lakh tonnes a month for the second quarter (July-September) and further to six lakh tonnes a month in the third quarter (October to December). It is still lower at 4.95 lakh tonnes a month for the current year (January - March 2006).

No wonder the massive mechanical coal handling facility (capacity 20 mt annually) built at a huge investment remains grossly under-utilised.