Single Buoy Mooring to start operation in November 07

Paradip, Jun 13 (UNI) The Single Buoy Mooring(SBM), set up by the Indian Oil Corporation(IOC) about 20 km off Paradip coast,will be commissioned in November adding another 15 million tonne cargo capacity to the Paradip Port per year.

Paradip Port Trust(PPT) Chairman K Raghuramaiah told a group of visiting newsmen that the SBM would help the IOC to import crude through Very Large Crude Carrier(VLCC).

These vessels, he said, would unload the crude at the SBM which would be later transported to Paradip Port through under water pipe already commissioned 20 meters under water in the sea, to be taken to Haldia through the pipe line.

He said two mooring dolphins and as many breasting dolphins would be completed to accommodate large vessels up to 125,000 DWT. The Paradip Port, he said, would invest Rs 17 crore from internal resources to create additional facilities of oil jetty to receive the crude oil through the under water pipe line.

Mr Raguramaiah said IOC was in the process of setting up of a Refinery at Paradip which would further add capacity of the Port from the existing 55 million tonnes to 70 million tonnes by 2011-2012.

He said the Port would be able to handle 106 million tonne capacity by 2011-2012 with the addition of another six berths taking the total berths to 20.

Of the six new berths,construction of Deep Drought Iron ore berth on Built, Operate and Transfer(BOT) basis at an estimated cost of Rs.504.77 crore for which the expression of interest would be invited next month.

The PPT Chairman said the construction of coal berth on BOT basis at an estimated cost of Rs.378 crore would also be completed by 2011 adding that both the berths would have the capacity of handling 10 million tonne cargo per anum.

He said a berth would be set up exclusively for importing coking coal for use in the steel plants in Orissa.Last year the Port, Mr Raguramaiah said, imported 4.2 million tonne of coking coal. The demand for import of coking coal,he said was rising.This apart, two more berths would be set up for container service to handle two shipments in a month.

The PPT Chairman said Paradip Port would be able to handle the container service for the South East Asian Countries because of its draught advantage.The Port,he said, would deepen the existing channel to handle 1,25,000 DWT vessels and cater to Panmax vessel with the enhancement of drought dock system from 12.5 meter to 14 meter.

The deepening of channel to increase the draught from 16 meter to 18 meter would be taken up to handle 1,85,000 DWT vessels at an investment of Rs.90 crore.

He said the development of southern Dock complex to have four berths would be ready for commercial operation by 2012 with an investment of Rs.530 crore under the Public Private Partnership(PPP) mode and the Port would invest Rs.60 crore from internal resources.

UNI