Calcutta Port in talks with SCI to build floating dock

By Our Staff Reporter

CALCUTTA, NOV. 23. Perennially suffering from low draft problems, the Calcutta Port Trust (CPT) is negotiating with Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) to build a floating storage off-take (FSO) facility at Sandheads in the high sea to attract large oil tankers. CPT at present carries out lighterage operations of similar kind between November and March.

The Rs. 50 crore project to set up an all weather facility was mooted to be developed in collaboration with Indian Oil and SCI, almost two years back. While IOC committed to bringing its oil cargo for refineries in Haldia and other parts of eastern region, SCI agreed to convert its two lakh tonne flag carrier, M. T. Kanchan Jangha into the floating storage platform.

Subsequently, Essar Shipping and GE Shipping had expressed interest in offering the storage vessel at a lower cost than SCI but backtracked in the final round. The project remained in the back burner for over an year, till CPT resumed negotiation with SCI barely two weeks ago. IOC is believed to be still interested in the project as it would be a boost for its Haldia operations.

While details of the negotiations are not known, informed sources said that the proposed FSO, if comes through, would inject fresh blood into CPT's operations. ``The available draft of 50 metres at Sandheads is much higher than any other port in the country and beyond all comparable limits of seven metres in Netaji Subhas Dock complex in Calcutta and roughly nine metres in Haldia Dock Complex of CPT.

Needless to say that lower draft that too about 100 km up the river made the present CPT docks completely unsuitable for the entry of modern vessels, increasing in size every day. According to sources, a substantial number of the latter would find Sandheads suitable to touch upon.

CPT, which began the lighterage operations at Sandheads in September 1997, handled 3.5 million tonnes of POL cargo in 1999- 2000. The target for 2000-2001 is set at 4 lakh tonnes, out of which 2.5 lakh tonnes had already been achieved.

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