The Hindu Business Line : Paradip port target set at 40.8 mt traffic

Traffic targets
Coking coal import through the port projected to rise to 4.5 mt
Thermal coal import too projected to rise to four mt
Port authorities do not foresee any significant increase in iron ore exports
Throughput of fertiliser raw materials (dry) to drop marginally

Kolkata , May 23

Coal traffic, imports and coastal shipments together will account for a large chunk of Paradip port's incremental traffic projected for 2006-07.

The port has been given a traffic target of 40.8 million tonnes (mt) for 2006-07 as compared to the actual handling of 33.1 mt in 2005-06 and the share of coal in the projected increase in traffic is estimated at more than two mt.

Coking coal imports

Two new steel firms, Visa and Jindal, with manufacturing facilities in Orissa, have started importing coking coal through Paradip port, while the traditional importers of coking coal through the port, SAIL and Tata Steel, have indicated to step up their throughputs in the current fiscal vis-à-vis 2004-05.

As a result, coking coal import through the port is projected to rise by 0.7 mt to 4.5 mt in the current fiscal over 3.8 mt in 2005-06.

Visa, it is learnt, will import about 0.8 mt and Jindals about 0.7 mt, while SAIL is to step up its imports to two mt (1.5 mt in 2005-06) and Tata Steel to 0.9 mt in 2006-07 (0.8 mt).

Thermal coal import too is projected to rise by an estimated 0.7 mt to four mt in the current fiscal from 3.3 mt in 2005-06.

This will be possible because National Thermal Power Corporation, which had imported two mt in 2005-06, has indicated to step up its imports to 2.4 mt in the current fiscal.

Others too are expected to import an estimated 1.6 mt during the year (1.3 mt in 2005-06).

The throughput of thermal coal for shipments by the coastal route is estimated to be 10 mt (9.2 mt).

The total thermal coal traffic, imports and coastal shipments taken together is projected to rise to 14 mt (12.5 mt).

Iron ore

The port authorities do not foresee any significant increase in iron ore exports. The throughput is projected to rise to 10.8 mt (10.5 mt).

The container traffic is projected to remain unchanged at the last year's level of 0.5 mt, while the throughput of fertiliser raw materials (dry) is to drop marginally to 2.45 mt (2.6 mt).

Crude, petro products

Paradip Port Trust (PPT) is pinning a great deal of hope on the crude and petroleum products traffic.

The the port does not handle any crude but a limited volume of petroleum products currently, only 0.9 mt in 2005-06.

The throughput for the current fiscal is projected to rise to 4.5 mt — comprising four mt of crude and 0.5 mt of petroleum products.

This will be possible because of the commissioning of the single-point mooring and of the 300-km-long Paradip-Haldia crude pipeline towards the end of this year.

The commissioning in December, it is felt, will help the port handle an estimated four mt of crude at the rate of one mt per month, and at least 0.5 mt of products, till March 2007.