Coal news and updates

Paradip to double coal handling capacity by 2019

Keeping an eye on coastal shipping of coal, Paradip Port has decided to fully mechanise its five coal berths to increase its handling capacity from the 24 million tons (mt) to 50 mt by 2019, a port official informed ICMW.

He added that construction of the Rs 1,200-crore project could start by mid-2016.

Elaborating, the official said, currently two berths handle coastal coal traffic with a mechanical loader. These apart, there are three more berths which handle coal for coastal shipping.

With mechanisation, these 5 berths would be able to handle 50 mt by 2019 and eventually touch 65 mt.

The official said, “Already, the tendering process has started and within this financial year the whole process would be completed. Actual construction could start from mid-2016.”
 

Coastal shipping of thermal coal constitutes of 43% of total cargo handling at Paradip port. Recently, at a meeting, Rinkesh Roy, Chairman of Paradip Port, had stressed that the main cargo expected to materialise in the coming years for Paradip would be transshipment of thermal coal from Mahanadi Coalfields to southern and western India through coastal shipping.