Deep Draught Iron Ore berth in Paradeep by 2011

Bhubaneswar, Apr 05 (UNI) A Deep Draught Iron Ore Berth for handling of iron ore at Paradeep Port with back up facilities to meet the growing demand of iron ore at an estimated cost of Rs 504.77 crore is likely to be completed by March 2011, according to Chairman K Raghuramiah.

Talking to newsmen here today, Mr Raghuramiah said, '' We expect to sign the concession agreement before December 2008 and the project is all likely to be completed before March 2011. '' He said another Deep Draught Coal Berth at an estimated cost of Rs 387.83 crore would also be completed before 2011 in view of several steel plants coming up in Orissa.

Indian Oil Company Limited(IOCL), the Paradeep Port Trust Chairman said, would complete installation of SPM and start discharging crude oil from the ships to their storage tank at Paradeep.

The SPM, he said, would be made operational by April 2008.

Mr Raghuramiah said it had been proposed to develop a southern dock system having three berths with provision to handle containers and POL products.

The feasibility study of the project with an estimated cost of Rs 530.00 crore was in progress and a formal proposal would be sent to the Ministry before June 2008.

The port, he said, had handled an all time record traffic of 42.44 million ton during the year surpassing the previous record of 38.52 million ton handled during 2006-07 registering a growth of 10.18 per cent.

The port, he said, also handled all time highest number of 1636 vessels during the year as against 1452 vessels handled in the previous year.

This apart an all time record quantity of 30.80 million ton of rail-borne traffic was handled by the port railway during the year surpassing the previous record of 26.54 million ton handled last year.

Similarly, a record quantity of 2,14,838 ton of cargo was handled in a day on February 22, 2008, surpassing the previous record of 2,12,912 ton handled on June 19, 2006.

The port, the Chairman said, also handled a record quantity of 4.2 million ton of cargo, 25.59 million ton of export cargo and 16.85 million ton of import cargo.

There had been a substantial improvement in the financial performance of the port during the year with an operating income of Rs 670.47 during 2007-08 as against Rs 640.37 in the previous year, Mr Raghuramiah said.

UNI DP SJC DB1834