The Hindu Business Line : Kolkata Dock System posts 15% growth in traffic

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Kolkata Feb. 1 The Kolkata Port Trust had apprehended a much a lower cargo throughput for the Kolkata Dock System in the current fiscal as compared to the previous one. However, the KDS has already posted an estimated 15 per cent traffic growth so far - 9.6 million tonnes till January 2007 as compared to 8.1 mt in the same period of last year. At this rate, the total traffic volume by March 31 might reach the level of about 12 mt.

In 2005-06, the KDS handled a total of 10.8 mt. In the beginning of this fiscal, it was felt the throughput might not exceed 8 mt or so.

The apprehension of a lower volume of traffic for the KDS was not without reason. Had the Paradip-Haldia crude pipeline been commissioned on time, the crude lighterage operation at the Sandheads would have dropped substantially, denying the KDS a clean 2.5 to three million tonnes of crude traffic. But the commissioning of the pipeline has been delayed, with the result, the lighterage operation continues and the port authorities are confident of having this year a crude traffic of about four mt, the same as that in the last year.

Dry bulk traffic

More important, the throughput of dry bulk traffic, both imports and exports, too has registered an impressive growth at the KDS, particularly the imports of pulses and wheat and exports of iron ore.

The log import has dropped by about 60,000/70,000 tonnes but the decline is considered insignificant compared to growth in the volumes of other traffic.

In 2005-06, the container throughput was a little more than two lakh TEUs. The throughput so far this year has been 1.96 lakh TEUs, and will reach 2.3 lakh-2.4 lakh TEUs by March , they said.