Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) on Friday began its first transhipment at Sandheads, mouth of Hooghly river. This is significant for the long-term survival of river ports of Haldia and Kolkata and the user industries in eastern and north eastern India as well as Nepal and Bhutan.

KoPT facilitated the trans-loading of thermal coal from Indonesia, KoPT sources told Business Line . “This is the beginning of trans-loading of 10.5 lakh tonnes cargo for NTPC, which would be berthed at Haldia and evacuated through land routes to the ultimate destinations – Farakka and Kahalgaon,” Capt. S.N. Choubey, Manager, Marine Department of Haldia Dock Complex said. The transhipment would save NTPC $1.15 per tonne in logistics costs, he added.

Coal & Oil Dubai is to ship 15 lakh tonnes, of which 70 per cent are bound for Haldia in the next four months.

Coal & Oil will do the transhipment aided by KoPT’s 45-tonne tug and pneumatic fenders (as buffer between the two ships). KoPT has been trying for years to begin transhipment at a point where cargo vessels requiring deeper draft could send commodities to smaller vessels.

“The coal load trans-loading at Sandheads (draft 50 m) is being done from a handymax to vessel requiring draft of seven metres,” Choubey said.

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