Kolkata Port to make ‘all weather’ channel operational by Oct

ABHISHEK LAW , PRATIM RANJAN BOSE
THE HINDU BUSINESS LINE
KOLKATA, JULY 4:
The Kolkata Port Trust is expecting to make operational a new ‘all weather’ channel with higher navigability by October this year.

Higher navigability will help ships to carry more cargo to the Haldia Dock complex.

The dock has been steadily losing cargo to ports such as Paradip and Vizag.

With fully loaded ships unable to enter the port due to poor draught, Haldia is relegated to second port-of-call to Paradip or Vizag.

According to the KoPT Chairman, Mr Manish Jain, the new channel - called Eden Channel -should improve the draught by 0.3-0.5 metres depending on the tidal movement.

“It will help provide importers and exporters better opportunities for doing business from Haldia,” he said.

Located on the west of the Auckland Bar (the existing route for vessels), the channel was opened in December 2011, and is, currently, operational during the “fair weather” only.

We plan to make it all-weather by October by creating the necessary infrastructure, Mr Jain said.

The port authorities are setting up the required infrastructure that includes the vessel traffic management solutions for wireless connectivity between the shipmaster and port authorities.

BETTER DRAUGHT

KoPT is also in the process of setting up lighted buoys and other support systems along the Eden channels.

According to Mr Jain, the Eden channel being a natural one will not require much dredging.

DREDGING

Ships can avoid the existing ‘Auckland Bar’ route that is prone to high siltation.

“Our focus would be on dredging the Jellingham Bar (an adjacent channel) and ensuring the Eden channel becomes an all-weather one,” Mr Jain said.

Dredging will continue at the Auckland Bar till operations at Eden Channel “stabilises”, he added.