The Hindu Business Line : Paradip port hopes to see 9-10 mt traffic jump

Paradip Port Trust (PPT) hopes to achieve a big jump in traffic throughput, by an estimated nine to 10 million tonnes (mt) in one go, in 2008-09. “The port’s traffic throughput in 2008-09 should exceed 50 mt,” Mr K. Raghuramaiah, Chairman, PPT, exuded optimism while talking to Business Line.

The optimism, as Mr Raghuramaiah explained, was based on probable commissioning of Indian Oil Corporation’s (IOC) single point mooring (SPM) off Paradip port in March.

IOC, it might be noted, kept on postponing the commissioning of the SPM since October 2005 because of its own problems. “It now appears that the commissioning will take place by March,” he said.

“Once the SPM is commissioned, the crude throughput should be on an average one mt a month, except, perhaps, the monsoon months.” At present, the port does not handle any crude but only products.

PPT, as the Chairman pointed out, would be hard put to achieve the targeted traffic of 45.8 mt in the current fiscal because of the delay in the commissioning of the SPM.

The target included an estimated 3.5 mt of crude which, according to the projection earlier made by IOC, should have flowed into the port in the last quarter of this fiscal. But that is not going to happen, with the result, the port would have to be content with a throughput of about 42.3 mt (excluding crude) in 2007-08. In 2006-07, the port handled 38.5 mt of traffic.

Capital dredging

Meanwhile, PPT has issued work order to the Dredging Corporation of India for starting capital dredging for deepening the navigable channels, both approach channel and entrance channel, of the port. This follows the Government approval of the revised cost estimate of the dredging work.

The original cost estimate of Rs 154 crore was revised to Rs 253.36 crore, of which, the budgetary support will be to the tune of Rs 45 crore.

“Once the channels have been deepened, the port will be equipped to handle much larger size vessels than at present – up to 125,000 dwt vessels against up to 65,000 dwt vessels at present,” Mr Raghuramaiah said, adding, “the execution of the job should be complete within 60 weeks”.