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Haldia dock to handle furnace oil traffic

Our Bureau

KOLKATA, June 12

HALDIA dock is all set to attract furnace oil traffic. This follows the Union Government's decision to dismantle administered pricing mechanism in respect of furnace oil. Also, the dock authorities have received clearance from the Chief Controller of Exp losives for handling the cargo.

According to dock sources, once the furnace oil traffic starts flowing into the dock, the liquid cargo park being developed in the land adjacent to the sixth and seventh berths within the dock will receive a big boost.

Out of a total of 48 acres in the liquid cargo park area, more than 31 acres have already been allotted to various companies, mostly in the private sector. These include, among others, AVR& Co., Hi-Tech Carbon, Ruchi Infrastructure, Hindustan Lever and I FB Agro Industries. The total tankage facility available in the park is about 1,93,000 kl.

With the arrival of furnace traffic, it is felt that more and more private firms will acquire plots in the liquid park area and set up tankage facilities.

In 2000-01, the total throughput of various liquid cargo at the dock (barring crude and POL products) was 9.55 lakh tonnes.

Meanwhile, according to the Union Government's RDC (rationalised distribution of cargo) projection, Haldia dock is to handle a total of 25 million tonnes (m.t.) of traffic in the current financial year as against the actual throughput of 22.8 m.t. in 200 0-01, thus projecting more than an increase of 2.2 m.t.

The projections for various types of cargoes are as follows: Crude and petroleum products 12 m.t. as against the actual throughput of 10.55 m.t. in 2000-01; iron ore six lakh tonnes ( 3.74 lakh tonnes), finished fertiliser two lakh tonnes (2.02 lakh tonn es), dry fertiliser raw materials five lakh tonnes (4.57 lakh tonnes), thermal coal 3.6 m.t. (3.67 m.t.), coking coal 4.2 m.t. (3.98 m.t.), containerised cargo 8.5 lakh tonnes (7.92 lakh tonnes) and other cargo 3.15 m.t. (2.77 m.t.).