The Hindu Business Line : Coal supplies to SAIL, Tata Steel hit

Heavy rainfall and the consequent floods in certain parts of West Bengal and Orissa in the past few days have hit movement of rakes carrying imported coal from three east cost ports of Haldia, Paradip and Visakhapatnam to steel plants of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) and Tata Steel.

“Our Jamshedpur plant did not receive any coal rake either from Haldia or Paradip in the past two days,” according to Tata Steel sources. “However, indications are that we’ll start receiving the rakes from this evening.”

The plant also faced problems in getting supplies from its own West Bokaro colliery – one rake a day against the normal two. But the plant authorities are not unduly worried as the stock position is comfortable, the sources add.

Haldia dock sources confirmed that as many as five rake carrying imported coal for Jamshedpur plant of Tata Steel had remained detained at the dock in the past two days as the railway lines at several places on the route to Jamshedpur were submerged.

“But with the situation showing signs of improvement, we’ve started releasing the rakes slowly,” the sources observe.

As Paradip port sources indicate, three Jamshedpur-bound coal rakes loaded at the port have remained detained – one at the port itself and two others at Cuttack and Jakhapura. A move is now afoot to divert the detained trains through an alternative route via Sambalpur -Jharsuguda-Rourkela- Tatanagar.

SAIL’s Rourkela plant, as the sources indicate, has been particularly hit by the suspension of movement of imported coal rakes as a sequel to the floods. Two Rourkela- bound rakes, one carrying coal and the other limestone, have been detained at Paradip port and Visakhapatnam port, respectively.

Till these rakes are cleared, the loading of new rakes may not be possible. The Rourkela plant needs between 1.5 and two rakes of imported coal a day. The stock position, however, is comfortable.

Haldia dock sources indicate that there has been no detention of coal rakes for SAIL plants at the dock. This is because the plants dependent on Haldia for imported coal are located at Durgapur, Bokaro and Burnpur unaffected by floods.

Paradip port is currently holding stocks of imported coal both for Jamshedpur plant of Tata Steel (130,000 tonnes) and Rourkela plant of SAIL (39,000 tonnes). If the present situation continues and the ground stocks swell, the port authorities will find it difficult to unload coal ships, it is pointed out. The stocks at Haldia are not large, it is learnt.

More Stories on : Railways | Steel Authority of India Ltd | Tata Steel Ltd | Steel | Coal

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