The Hindu Business Line : Kolkata port to restrict arrival of cargo vessels

Mr M.L. Meena, Deputy Chairman of KoPT — in-charge of both Haldia and KDS — told Business Line that the imposition of restriction had become necessary in view of acute pre-berthing detention of bulk carriers at Haldia.

Kolkata , Feb. 21

THE Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) plans to restrict arrivals of certain types of vessels in the impounded dock of Haldia.

The restriction will apply to container vessels loading or unloading (or both) less than 100 boxes and other types of vessels bringing fertiliser raw materials such as rock phosphates or sulphur, certain types of steel materials and project cargoes.

These vessels will now have to bypass Haldia and proceed straight to the Kolkata Dock System (KDS) for unloading the consignments. If the vessels are carrying cargo volumes that will require higher draft than available at the KDS, then they can unload (partly) at the Diamond Harbour anchorage — where the available draft is higher than that in KDS — and then proceed to the KDS for unloading the balance cargo. Since there is no full-fledged jetty at Diamond Harbour, the consignments have to be lightened in barges at the Diamond Harbour anchorage.

A section of shipping lines and trade has naturally reacted sharply to such a move. "We must have freedom to operate in any of the two dock systems of the Kolkata port depending on our convenience," they say. The multiple handling in lighterage operation will entail additional cost. Besides, the facilities already created at Haldia for handling this kind of traffic will remain idle, further adding to the cost of operation, it is pointed out.

Mr M.L. Meena, Deputy Chairman of KoPT - in-charge of both Haldia and KDS, told Business Line that the imposition of restriction had become necessary in view of acute pre-berthing detention of bulk carriers at Haldia. "The bulk carriers give us volumes and, therefore, deserve priority berthing, not possible now," he said. He also said that the container vessels, loading and unloading limited number of boxes and still getting overriding priority in berthing, and certain other low-productivity vessels, which gave neither volume nor output, would block the lock-gates and clutter the impounded dock, which was not in the port's interest.

He also explained that Haldia, being a river port, could operate the lock-gates only when there was a tide in the Hooghly river; during the limited period of tide, only three arrivals and three departures could be undertaken. In such a situation, if smaller vessels with limited cargo and low-productivity vessels occupied the lock-gates and the dock basin, the movement of bulk carriers, loading or unloading much higher volumes of cargo, would be affected. The KoPT, Mr Meena said, had already taken up the matter with the barge operators to facilitate lighterage operation at the Diamond Harbour anchorage and the operators had promised full cooperation by agreeing to charge promotional rates. "I have also taken up with the Commissioner of Customs who has promised all help in this regard," he added.