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Paradip Port Authority Chairman, PL Haranadh, announced in a press conference in Odisha on Sunday that the port had achieved its highest-ever annual traffic of 135.36 million metric tonnes during the financial year 2022-23.
This represents an increase of 19.2 million metric tonnes or 16.56% over the previous year, which is the highest growth rate in a single financial year in the port’s history.
The increase in cargo handling achieved by Paradip Port is the highest among all ports in the country, major and non-major alike.
During the financial year, the port recorded the highest-ever coastal shipping traffic of 58.42 million metric tonnes, an increase of 38% over the previous year. Additionally, the thermal coal coastal shipping grew by 50% over the previous year, handling 14 million metric tonnes. Paradip Port has emerged as a hub for coastal shipping in the country.
The Port also improved its berth productivity, achieving 31,050 MT compared to 27,295 MT in the previous year, registering a 13.76% growth rate. The berth productivity achieved by Paradip Port is the highest among all ports in the country, according to Haranadh.
During the financial year, the Port handled 20,126 rakes, a growth of 20.45% over the previous financial year. It also managed 2,394 ships, a 16% increase over the previous financial year due to various system improvement measures undertaken by the Port.
The Chairman said that the Port, with a rated capacity of 289 million metric tonnes, is poised to cross the 300 million metric tonnes capacity mark in another three years with the commissioning of the Western Dock project.
He added that the port is aiming to develop an exclusive berth for handling green ammonia/green hydrogen, and after its development, it will become the hydrogen hub port of the country.
Paradip Port is planning to commission two road flyovers within its premises with a cost of Rs 150 crores to improve connectivity and avoid surface crossing of rail and road traffic to handle road traffic seamlessly.
It also plans to become 100% mechanized by 2030 with the mechanization of the existing four semi-mechanized berths, said Haranadh. Additionally, 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 refueling station by setting up LNG and CNG depots at the port.
Finally, the port has also planned to add another four berths for which requisite approval will be taken during the current financial year.