Kolkata Port Is Betting Big On Inland Water Transport

Having clocked the highest rate of growth (12.4%) among Major Ports (MPs) on the east coast in the first seven months of the fiscal, the Kolkata port is on the move. To maximise its potential have been lined up a host of projects for the Kolkata Dock Systems (KDS) and Haldia Dock Complex (HDC), its two branches, involving an outlay of Rs 1,050 crore. In FY17, Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) notched the 6th rank (from 7th) among MPs, with cargo volumes of 50.951 million tonnes. In the April-September period, KoPT handled 1,785 ships, the highest among MPs. Its container throughput is also on the rise. Although inadequate draught has stood in the way of KoPT handling vessels of higher parcel size, the port’s strategic connectivity to National Waterways-1 (NW1) and National Waterways-2 (NW2) gives it an edge that it is seeking to make the most of. It is this connectivity that helped it tide over earlier threats of closure. The investments the port has in the pipeline are aimed at improvement in operational efficiency, capacity upgrade, integrated infrastructure development and facilitation of ease of doing business. Read More…

Kolkata Dock Systems, Kolkata Port, Water Transport