More efficient cargo handling at Paradip Port on cards
Paradip Port is the largest dry bulk handling port in India and located strategically at the East Coast of India in Odisha neighboring Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. It serves serves the iron ore belt of Korba, Joda-Barbil and Keonjhar and MCL Coalfields at Ib Valley and Talcher
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Visakhapatnam: Paradip Port, which is consistently ranked No. 2 among major ports in India after Deen Dayal (Kandla) has big plans ahead to further improve its performance by implementing a port-led development project with an investment of Rs 3,500 crore.
Port Chairman PL Haranadh told Bizz Buzz in an exclusive interview that work is going at brisk pace for the Smart Industrial Port City Project with efforts to transform it into a self-contained city spread over 700 acres. The port-led development project includes a multimodal logistics park (MMLP), a pellet plant, a wood park and a dedicated food park for edible oils.
CONCOR has committed to develop the Rs. 200 crore-MMLP spreading over 100 acres provided by Paradip Port. The MMLP is expected to act as an "unique solution at one location" for warehouse management and logistics operations. At 10 lakh sq. feet of warehousing zones it will allow free trade, handling domestic and EXIM cargo from the container and bulk cargo terminals at the port.
Haranadh, an IRTS officer of 1994 batch, who had earlier served as Deputy Chairman of Visakhapatnam Port, said the MMLP will facilitate inland container depots (ICD), container freight stations (CFS), parking, mechanised handling and intermodal transfers. The new clean cargo container terminal has already been operational by the private concessionaire, Paradip International Container Terminal (PICT).
The 5 MTPA PICT is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to handle 12,500 DWT container vessels supported with 22 hectare of stackyard and two full length railway sidings. With the onset of these logistics and industrial parks, Paradip Port expects an addition of 5 MTPA cargo by FY 2025.
Paradip Port is the largest dry bulk handling port in India and located strategically at the East Coast of India in Odisha neighboring Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
Haranadh said the port is maintaining its growth momentum by handling over 100 MTPA throughput continuously for the past four years with 114.55 MMT cargo handled in FY 20-21-an all-time high record. Paradip Port is one of the largest Indian major ports in terms of rated capacity, which stands at 302 MTPA. The port has been in the forefront of operational efficiency with highest output per ship berths day (OSBD) among Indian major bulk ports. The port is cost efficient by offering lowest vessel related charges on bulk cargo among Indian ports, he stated.
Paradip Port is connected to its hinterland through Cuttack by a broadgauge rail link and by SH-12 and to Chandikhole by NH-5A. Cuttack and Chandikhole are the two main gateway cities that connect Paradip to the mainland. Cuttack is 90 km away from Paradip whereas the distance to Chandikhole is 80 km.
Paradip Port has a widespread road and rail networks to connect to the industrial and mining clusters in the hinterland.
The port also serves the mining belt of iron ore at Korba, Joda-Barbil and Keonjhar and MCL Coalfields at Ib Valley and Talcher. At present, the port has 17 berths along with three single point moorings and one roll-on-roll-off (RO- RO) jetty accounting for the highest rated capacity of 302 MTPA.
Completion of ongoing modernisation projects aimed at faster evacuation of cargo and handling 200,000 DWT cape size vessels and launching of Haridaspur-Paradip railway line will be a game-changer for the port to scale up further, Haranadh pointed out.
