Calcutta Port Posts Record Traffic Turnover

The Calcutta port has achieved a record traffic turnover in the current financial year, which is likely to end with cargo handling of about 28 million tonnes.

Very heavy traffic growth has given the port authorities optimism for the future development of the twin-port which is the major sea port in eastern India.

Traffic in Calcutta Dock System (CDS) from April 1997 to January this year has gone up to 6.35 million tonnes against 4.99 million tonnes in the same period in 1996-97.

Growth recorded was 27.37 per cent.

At the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC), volume of cargo handled during April 97- January 98 stood at 16.46 million tonnes against 13.90 million tonnes in the

 

corresponding period of 1996-97. Here the growth was 18.39 per cent.

The growth, therefore, for the period under study was 27.37 per cent which is claimed to be an all-time record so far traffic handling at the Calcutta port as a whole. In fact, the growth is the highest ever rate of traffic movement witnessed by any major ports of the country, a source in Calcutta Port Trust (CPT) said.

Incidentally, the national average in terms of traffic growth is 20.76 per cent.

The higher increase of cargo is mainly attributed to increase of import and export of cargo including POL products, log, fertiliser raw materials, edible oil, jute products, tea export and other general cargo.

One of the major factors leading to higher cargo handling is the lightening of Suezmax tankers at Sagor into daughter vessels for final discharge in oil jetties.

At HDC, the growth in traffic is attributed to increased handling of POL (crude), POL (product), rock phosphates, sulphur, thermal coal, petroleum coke and containerised cargo.