Paradip Port

Paradip Port Trust (PPT)
Location
Country  India
Location Paradip, Odisha
Coordinates 20°15′55.44″N 86°40′34.62″E / 20.2654000°N 86.6762833°E / 20.2654000; 86.6762833[1]
Details
Opened 12 March 1966 (1966-03-12)
Operated by Paradip Port Trust (PPT)
Owned by Government of India
Available berths 20
Employees 700
Statistics
Annual cargo tonnage 79 million tons (2013-14)[2]
Website
paradipport.gov.in

Paradip Port (20°15′55.44″N 86°40′34.62″E / 20.2654000°N 86.6762833°E / 20.2654000; 86.6762833) is an artificial, deep-water port on the East coast of India in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha. It is situated at confluence of the Mahanadi river and the Bay of Bengal. It is situated 210 nautical miles south of Kolkata and 260 nautical miles north of Visakhapatnam.

The port is administered by the Paradip Port Trust (PPT), an autonomous corporation wholly owned by the Government of India.[1]

History

The land on which the port was built was once a mangrove swamp, used large by local villagers for hunting, fishing and the collection of wood. In 1948 the Port (Technical) Committee of the Government of India determined an additional port was required between Visakhapatnam and Calcutta.

This need for another eastern port became particularly obvious following Partition when the Port of Dhaka was separated from India.[3]

In 1950 the Central Water & Power Commission proposed a Port between the Kolkata and Vishakapatnam, then Chief Minister of Odisha Biju Patnaik suggested construction of port in Paradip on Mahanadi river. The Paradip Port was the brainchild of Biju Patnaik.The foundation stone for Paradip port was laid on 3 January 1962 by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India. The inscription on the black granite stone records a simple message in Oriya, English and Hindi: "Willed by the people, I commend you, to this another National Adventure". The State Government of Orissa started construction work on 15 March 1964, with the Central Government taking over management on 1 June 1965. The construction of Iron Ore Berth was completed and INS "INVESTIGATOR‟ had the privilege of maiden berthing in the port on 12 March 1966. The port was declared open by Mr. Peter Stambolić. The Port commenced operations with the export of a few thousand tons of iron ore, and has subsequently grown to the point of handling more than 50 million tonnes of cargo during the 1st decade of the 21st century.

Facilities

Paradip Port has 20 berths with a minimum draft of 13 metres (43 ft). It can accommodate vessels up to 90,000 DWT.[4]

The fully automated coal handling plant can handle up to 20 million tons of coal imports per annum. A single point mooring system handles Very Large Crude Carriers for Indian Oil.

As of 2015, the approach channel was being dredged to increase depth to at least 18.7 metres (61 ft) to enable the port to handle capesize vessels. A western dock with 6 additional berths are completed. Other massive expansion projects are planned to increase the port's cargo handling capacity to over 180 million tons by 2020.[5]

Development of a New Outer Harbour nearer to South Break Water of Paradip Port. The Techno Economical Feasibility Report (TEFR) for the Outer Harbour has been entrusted to AECOM & McKency Consortium by MoS under Sagarmala. Now, the bid document is being prepared for appointing a consultant for preparation of DPR & shall shortly be floated in the website in the form of NIT.

The port operates an autonomous railway system, with its own railway station. It has an 82 kilometres (51 mi) of track length with over 25 sidings for handling cargo. The rail system connects to the East Coast Railway (ECoR) network of the Indian Railways over a 10 km route. NH 5A is a four-lane national highway connecting the port to Haridaspur near Cuttack, and to the rest of India's highway network. State Highway SH-12 also connect Paradip with Cuttack & Bhubaneswar.

Master Plan

Paradip has been identified for development as one of the six major petroleum, chemicals and petrochemical investment regions (PCPIRs) in India, along the lines of Pudong in China, Rotterdam in Europe and Houston in North America. The Paradip PCPIR has identified an investment potential of US $68.84 billion, spread over 284 square kilometres (110 sq mi) in the area.

Govt of Odisha planned to pump in Rs 300000 Crore into Paradip by 2025. So existing infrastructure planned upgradation. Newly planned railway line Paradip-Haridaspur is in verge of completion. A new greenfield corridor highway has been planned between Bhubaneswar & Paradip.

Coastal Highway planned connecting Dhamara Port & Astaranga Port with Paradip. A new Airstrip has been proposed by GoO to facilitate transportation down time.

Plan to make the biggest PCIPR Region in Asia. Paradip city along with neighboring semi-urban area has been master planned to be developed as industrial city by 2030 by Paradip Development Authority.

References

  1. 1 2 "About Us". Paradip Port Trust. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
  2. "Brochure" (PDF). Paradip Port Trust. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
  3. Nanda, Prabhat (April 2011). "The Port of Paradip : Mangrove Forest to a Major Port" (PDF). Orissa Review: 68–78.
  4. "Home". Paradip Port Trust. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
  5. "Centre to pump Rs 3,141 cr into Paradip port". Business Standard. 2011-09-19. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
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