Gopalpur port to restart operation from January

Port's operations came to a standstill after storm hit state's southern coast on 12 October last year

Gopalpur port, which has been off operations since October last year due to the damage caused by Phailin cyclonic storm, is poised to restart commercial operations from January 2015, a top port official said here.

“The meeting with the chief minister was just a courtesy call. So far as reviving port operations are concerned, we hope we will be in a position to start operations again from January next year. Gopalpur port has always adhered to the timelines that we have committed,” Mahimananda Mishra, managing director, Gopalpur Ports Ltd (GPL) told reporters after a meeting with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The port’s operations came to a standstill after the storm hit the state’s southern coast on October 12 last year. The port had incurred around Rs 250 crore loss due to Phailin. The repair work, however, was in full swing and is likely to be over by the end of 2014. GPL had proposed to enhance the port’s cargo handling capacity from 3.5 million tonne per annum (mtpa) to five mtpa and enable it handle large vessels. The last vessel had anchored at the port on October 7, 2013.

GPL has constructed a multi-purpose berth with cargo handling capacity of 3.5 mtpa. The port is being jointly promoted by Odisha Stevedores Limited (OSL) and Sara International Ltd.

GPL has already spent Rs 850 crore to upgrade the port, which was earlier operating seasonally, to an all-weather facility. The port aims to receive large vessels with 1.25 DWT (dead weight tonnage) capacity by 2016.