Paradip Port Authority Chairman PL Haranadh on Sunday addressed the annual press conference in Odisha, and said that Paradip Port has handled its highest-ever annual traffic of 135.36 million metric tonnes during the financial year 2022-23 against 116.13 million metric tonnes during the previous financial year.
Chairman PL Haranadh said, “The port recorded the highest-ever growth of 19.2 million metric tonnes (16.56 per cent) of traffic in a single financial year in its history.” The growth in cargo handling achieved by Paradip Port is the highest among all Ports, both major and non-major ports of the country, he said.
During the financial year, the Port achieved the highest-ever coastal shipping traffic of 58.42 million metric tonnes, with a growth of 16.22 million metric tonnes which is 38 per cent over the previous year.
The thermal coal coastal shipping has grown by 14 million metric tonnes which is 50 per cent over the previous year’s cargo handling and is emerging as a hub for astal shipping in the country, he said.
Paradip Port has been able to improve its berth productivity to 31050 MT from 27295 MT in the previous financial year, registering 13.76 per cent growth. The berth productivity achieved by Paradip Port is the highest among all the ports of the country, Haranadh said.
During the financial year, the Port handled 20,126 rakes, registering a growth of 20.45 per cent over the previous financial year.
The Port has handled 2394 ships during the financial year registering an increase of 16 per cent over the previous financial year due to various system improvement measures undertaken by the Port.
The Port, with 289 million metric tonnes rated capacity port as of date, is poised to cross the 300 million metric tonnes capacity mark in another 3 years with the commissioning of the Western Dock project, the Chairman said.
He said Paradip Port is aiming to develop an exclusive berth for handling green ammonia/green hydrogen. Haranadh said after the develomnt of the berth Paradip port would become the hydrogen hub port of the country.
The Chairman said the Port has planned to develop a 10 MW solar power plant to power the operations of the port, totally by renewable energy, and to come up with a green refuelling station by setting up LNG and CNG depots at the Port.
Port has also planned to add another 4 berths for which requisite approval will be taken during the current financial year, the Chairman added.
Paradip Port is planning to improve connectivity by commissioning two road flyovers within its premises with a cost of Rs 150 crores to avoid surface crossing of rail and road traffic to handle road traffic seamlessly.
Paradip Port, which has mechanised 80 per cent of the berths as of date, plans to become 100 per cent mechanized by 2030 with the mechanization of the existing 4 semi-mechanized berths, he said. (ANI)