Dredging commences at Paradeep Port for entry of capesize vessels

Paradeep, Jun 18 (UNI) The development and expansion of the Paradeep port has started to help high capacity vessels to berth with the dredging of silts from the port channels.

Paradeep Port Trust(PPT) Chairman K Raghuramaiah told newspersons here that the dredging of the channels, which started two days back, was expected to be completed by June next year.

Mr Raghuramaiah said after the completion of the dredging, the depth of the entrance channel would increase from 12.8 metres to 17.1 metres and the port would be able to handle capesize vessels of 1,25,000 DWT capacity.

The chairman also said a total of 15 million cubic metres of silt would be removed from the channels, including 11.3 cubic metres dredging in the outer channel and 3.7 million cubic metres of dredging from the turning circle and the harbour inside.

The Dredging Corporation of India(DCI), which has been entrusted by the port authority for dredging the channels at an estimated cost of Rs 253.36 crore, would carry out the work primarily with the Cutter and Suction Dredger, C S D Aquarius.

But later it would use higher capacity dredgers to cater to the requirements.

The PPT requires an investment of Rs 1554 crore for dredging its channels to allow super Panamax vessels up to 1,25,000 DWT to berths in order to achieve its target of doubling its capacity to 106.40 million tonnes by 2011-12.

Each year PPT spends about Rs 40 crore to dredge the channels for removing the silts, but it never helps to make the channels deep, official sources said.

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