Despite being challenged by draft restrictions, Haldia Dock Complex has been chartering big plans. However, the port owes its importance for its location advantage. A report by THE MARINE WORLD

Haldia Dock Complex (HDC), one of the two dock systems managed by Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), serves a range of industries located in West Bengal and a larger part of landlocked Eastern India hinterland comprising Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and also Nepal. Haldia Dock Complex is India’s sole major river port.
It is critically imperative for Haldia Dock Complex to initiate long-term measures to improve draft as a number of industries, notably steel, power and heavy engineering, depend on it. And this must be supplemented by mechanisation of cargo handling facilities and creation of additional berths that will help faster vessel turnaround.
According to a top HDC official, “Draft restrictions of the port, led by tidal intricacies of the Hooghly River, is today the most critical bottleneck for the port to function optimally.” Draft restrictions assumed serious proportions a couple of months ago when the port witnessed excessive shoaling of the channel loading to the port from Bay of Bengal.
Draft limitation, which is essentially a non port problem, has been barring several vessels with large parcel loads to call at the port. As of date, more than 60 vessels have been stranded at the sand heads waiting to get berths due to the lack of required draft at the port.
Also, deficient draft has been barring vessels from leaving the port on schedule. As a result, berthing space for incoming vessels was not freed. Berth occupancy at Haldia Dock Complex was high at 85 percent during 2007-08.
Steep fluctuations in the tidal winds at the lock gate of the port hinders arrival and departure of vessels. According to a senior official, “The port can take advantage of high tidal availability for 12 hours when the port has high tide.” However, they say, “The span of 12 hours and 40 minutes even falls short in turning round good number of vessels at the port.” Draft at the port ranges from 6.5 meters to 7 meters through out the year.
The issue of the draft restriction with the port has been gradual following the inception of the port during the year of 1977. During the early years of the inception of the port draft availability with the port was 12.2 meters. Gradual shoaling of the river channel leading to the port led by tidal intricacies of the Hooghly River, over the years resulted in imposition of draft restrictions.
The situation has assumed serious dimensions with the heavy siltation of the approach channel comprising the Auckland Bar and Jhellingham Channel leading to the port. Officials inform, “The extension of the tail of Nayachara island on the way to Jellingham channel has been posing serious challenge for vessels with larger parcel loads, willing to call at the port from Bay of Bengal. However, the most serious issue has been the total blockage of the Balari Bar Channel from Haldia Dock to Kolkata Port. Blocking of this channel has increased the journey time of vessels coming from HDC to Kolkata Port as they have to circumnavigate the entire Auckland Bar. The journey used to take seven hours when the channel was open couple of years back.
To counter the problem, HDC has deployed six suction hopper dredgers and one cutter section dredger at Auckland and Jhellingham bars in HDC channel for maintenance dredging. The exercise by the dredger is expected to smoothen the navigability of the river. However, as a long term measure it would be essential for the port to undertake capital dredging in a sustainable phase for long term benefits.
As per senior Kolkata Port sources, a scheme entitled for the improvement of the draft of the Hooghly River was sanctioned by the Government of India on November 2001, which however could not be executed for long due to various reasons.
The river regulatory measures were redefined and a fresh scheme on RRM was framed at an estimated cost of Rs. 385.03 crore and forwarded to the ministry for its perusal and approval.
Subsequently, as per the competent authority in the ministry, the earlier estimate was revised and an updated estimate amounting to Rs. 421.06 crores was forwarded to the Ministry in March 2006. The scheme has been accorded environmental clearance in September 2007. Work for the scheme would be taken up during the eleventh five year plan.
The recommended work under the RRM would be capital dredging over Balari Passage, submerged dyke east of the navigational channel at Jhellingham and a groyne/spud on the eastern bank in the Rangafalla channel. The envisaged benefits of the RRM are increase in depth in the navigation channel by 0.5 metres and reduction of annual maintenance dredging about 2mm cubic meter per annum from the existing level. During 2006-07 , 16704.95 cubic metres of dredging was undertaken at Haldia dock Complex channel and during 2007-08 dredging of 18315.54 thousand cubic metres was undertaken.

Future Potential

Increasing of the draft levels is quite important for the future development of the port. According to senior HDC officials, “The fluctuations in draft levels is compelling the port customers at times to diver their cargo to other eastern ports of Paradip and Vizag. This cold lead to upward revision in transportation rates both from the hinterland to the port and vice versa.
Senior officials of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) agree to this. SAIL imports coking coal for its Durgapur, IISCO and Bokaro plants through the port. The coal is imported from Australia and New Zealand.
Diversion of cargo to other ports because of high cost is , contributing to the high costing element, is also agreed by Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) officials. TISCO also imports coking coal for its Jamshedpur plant from Australia and New Zealand. The port is also important for scores of secondary steel producers having their concentration in Eastern India.HDC serves as an important gateway for other customers like Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd also. Crude oil for IOC’s refineries at Numaligarh in Assam and Barauni in Bihar is imported through the port. However, Paradip Port has weaned away some of the crude imports riding on its new oil handling facility and deeper draft.