Paradip port posts growth in traffic in April

In April, Paradip Port Trust handled 5.65 million tonnes (mt) of traffic, thus posting 4.24 per cent growth over the same period of last year.

During the same month, all major ports taken together recorded a negative growth of 2.58 per cent at 54.56 mt. In fact, only six out of 13 major ports recorded positive growth in traffic throughput in the first month of current fiscal, the five others being Ennore, Kandla, New Mangalore, Mumbai and V.O. Chidambaram.

PPT Chairman, S.S. Misra, would attribute the growth in port traffic to rise in the throughputs of coal and crude and petroleum products. Iron ore export, once a major item of traffic, continued to languish though there indications of some exports taking place.

The optimism was based on the fact that as many as 20 bidders responded to PPT's open tender inviting offers for 15 plots to be used for storage of iron ore. Finally five bidders withdrew. The court cases involving 48 other iron ore plots were creating problems because unless these plots were vacated, the work on two BOT berths, one for iron ore and the other for coal, could not be started. He, however, conceded that the port authorities were examining various options as to how to start early the work on the iron ore berth and the options might include even inviting fresh bids as the response of the present successful bidder left much to be desired.

The mechanisation of three berths, EQ 1,EQ 2 and EQ 3 through public private partnership, was receiving top priority, Misra said indicating that preliminary level discussion on this was in progress with a few public sector companies. The acquisition of two mobile harbour cranes too was high on the agenda, he added.