Port Strike Forces Tneb To Suspend Coal India Offtake

The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) has been forced to suspend offtake from Coal India for a week as a fallout of the 10-day-old strike at the Chennai port.

TNEB has not been able to unload coal at the port since the strike started. About six ships, each carrying 30,000 tonnes of coal, are stranded outside the port waiting to be berthed, a senior state electricity board official said.

With 1.8 lakh tonnes of coal yet to be unloaded, we have decided to suspend orders with Coal India, he added.

Our coal stocks are likely to be exhausted in 15 days if there are no further inflows. We fear a crisis and are in touch with the port officials, the official said.

While stocks at the state electricity board power stations may last about 10-12 days, port officials said they were holding only 3-4 days stocks.

Facilities at the Tuticorin port are limited and we cant divert ships there, the TNEB official added.

Tamil Nadu is facing power shortage this summer.

TNEB officials refused to speculate on the possible fallout if the strike continues for another fortnight.

Even if the strike is called off immediately, it will take us some time to bring our coal handling operations back to normal and resume offtake from Coal India, TNEB sources said.

The state electricity board has been allotted berths in the Jawahar Dock for handling its coal requirements.

The positioning of the dock makes it virtually impossible for ships to be berthed without the aid of tugs. However, senior tug-masters in the Chennai port have been on strike since May 11. The strike was initiated under aegis of the Madras Port Trust Employees Union (MPTEU), demanding all tug-masters be employed as Class II/I officers. There are currently about 20 tug-masters with the port.

Movement of other ships, too, has been affected. The strike has affected the cycle of ships, especially those carrying import and

re-export cargo, vice-chairman of the Madras Steamer Agents Association Mahesh Chandarkar said. The strike has already had a near-crippling effect on the port, he added.

Though the tug-masters are continuing to work with passenger and naval vessels, movement of cargo carriers has been hit.

At one point of time over 25 vessels were stranded outside the port. The port managed to rope in the Navy and about 20 ships were cleared.

The issue, however, took a political turn with the MPTEU approaching defence minister George Fernandes.

Union sources and port officials confirmed that the Navy had withdrawn.