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The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) appears to be firming up plans for making the ‘fair-weather’ Eden channel for Haldia port an ‘all-weather’ one.
A KoPT panel, formed in August, is scheduled to submit its report on Thursday.
Significantly, a meeting of the members of the committee, pilots, representatives of the Indian Navy and coast guards will take place on Thursday to discuss the report. “We will get the sub-committee report on Thursday,” A. K. Bagchi, Director of Marine Department, KoPT, told Business Line.
According to Manish Jain, Chairman of KoPT, an ‘all-weather’ Eden channel is aimed at increasing the navigability to Haldia dock complex.
Being a river port, Haldia has been steadily losing fully loaded ships to Paradip and Vizag ports.
The channel is located on the west of Auckland Bar, the existing main entry route for Haldia port-bound vessels. Eden channel was opened as an alternative route in December 2011.
Jain added that changing it from ‘fair-weather’ to ‘all-weather’ should improve the draught by up to 0.5 metres depending on the tidal movement.
Senior port officials said talks have been going on for quite some time now to make Eden an all-weather channel.
ayan.pramanik@thehindu.co.in
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