Kolkata Port Trust expands container stacking

Kolkata: Kolkata Port Trust has created about 29,000 sq metres of new container stacking capacity in the Kolkata Dock System (KDS) — 23,000 sq.m. in Basra Extension area and another 6,000 sq.m. in Berth Number 5 area, both under the Netaji Subhas Dock — bringing the total to more than 1-lakh sq.m., enough for storage of around 10,000 TEUs at a time.





The total cost of hard-standing, together with bituminous surfacing of another 3,000 sq.m. of space, has cost the port authorities about Rs 5.5 crore.





In its bid to facilitate the handling of containers as also other types of cargoes, the port authorities have also installed a computerised information centre in the KDS at a cost of about Rs 16 lakh.





The centre, according to the Kolkata Port Trust sources, will benefit various agencies involved in the operation of the port such as the Customs, the shipping lines and their agents and other users.





The information relating to vessel traffic management, cargo handling and ship operations, on-line container tracking, rail movement, berth occupancy, equipment deployment, hydraulic study and research and documentation, among others, will be available in the centre. Henceforth computerised permits too will be issued in the dock.





Between April and February 2006-07, KDS handled a total of 11.32 million tonnes (mt) of traffic, posting a growth of more than 18 per cent, highest among all major ports, claim port sources.





During the same period, the container throughput in the KDS was 2,16,752 TEUs compared with 1,86,480 TEUs in the corresponding period of last year, or a growth of more than 16 per cent.





KDS sources hope to achieve a throughput of 2.4-lakh TEUs by March end. In 2005-06, the total container throughput at the Kolkata Dock System was 2,03,000 TEUs. It might be noted that KDS last handled more than 11 mt, to be precise 11.068 mt, in 1964-65 when there was no such thing as Haldia dock.





Talking to newspersons on the occasion, Dr A.K. Chanda, Chairman, Kolkata Port Trust, indicated that the port (including Haldia) was poised to handle about 55 mt of traffic in 2006-07 compared with 53.02 mt in 2005-06.