Coal news and updates

Adani Vizag terminal may start commercial ops from Q3

September 24: Commercial operation of the Adani-Vizag coal terminal, with a capacity of 6.4 million tons (mt), is likely to start anytime between October-end and mid-November, a senior official from Vizag Port told ICMW.

“Test handling of cargos are already on and three-four vessels have already been handled on a test basis. Commercial operation of the terminal might take one or one-and- a-half months more from now. Commercial operation is going to start from mostly October ending or mid-November,” he said.

Explaining further, he said, “Adani is constructing a deep draft dock to bring panamax vessels directly to the inner harbour. But at this point of time dredging is going on in the inner harbour and until and unless this dredging is completed, panamax vessels cannot be brought directly into the inner harbor. Most probably, the dredging will be completed in one or one-and-half-months.”

He said after the terminal starts commercial operation, all vessels carrying steam coal, will be channelised through the Adani terminal. “Once the Adani terminal comes into the picture. all vessels that have been diverted to other ports will come back because our agreement is such that whatever steam coal comes to VPT, will do so only through the Adani terminal and not go to any other berths of the port,” he said.

Earlier, in December 18, 2013, Adani completed construction of the Rs 400-crore terminal with a steam coal import terminal at Visakhapatnam Port following a concessional agreement with Vizag Port in 2011.