After having remained completely shutdown for four days in the wake of the threat of “Phailin” supercyclone, Paradip port is limping back to normal. “All operations relating to cargo handling, vessel movement and rail movement have resumed”, S S Mishra, Chairman of Paradip Port Trust told Business Line.
Four ships, all carrying coal, arrived at the port on Monday and another four carrying fertiliser raw materials and coal today.
IOC’s single point mooring located off the port not being affected by the strong winds and the rains that lashed the port will hopefully start handling crude carriers shortly.
The rail movement started from Sunday and as many as eight loaded rakes have been despatched out of the port and incoming rakes too have started arriving.
However, the daily traffic throughput remains low, about 85,000 tonnes as against 1.9 lakh tonnes in normal situation. This is partly because of blocking of the part of the navigable channel preventing bigger ships requiring more than 13-metre draft from calling at the port.
The port was away from the eye of “Phailin” but could not escape the fury of gale and heavy rains that accompanied the cyclone.
A large number of port workers who had fled apprehending catastrophe are yet to come back and report for duty. “We’re now working with reduced workforce”, observe port sources.
In addition to taking care of the port, the authorities had to take several measures for safety of port employees and their families as well as non-port local people.
Several cyclone shelters were opened for sheltering those evacuated from low-lying and vulnerable areas and each shelter was stacked with adequate food, drinking water and medicines.