Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), the first major and only riverine port in the country, has fixed a tonnage target of 65 mt, in which the share of iron ore, finished steel products and coal would be around 30-35 mt, and a 10 percent growth in revenues for the current fiscal after registering a 13 percent tonnage growth in the last fiscal. The port is further poised to serve the entire trade hinterland of the eastern and north-eastern part of the country through an additional capacity in the form of the Tajpur Port, the consultancy work for which has already started rolling. Madhumita Mookerji and Tamajit Pain caught up with Vinit Kumar, the Chairman of KoPT, who says, the very fact that the port is registering 13 percent tonnage growth is proof enough that industrial growth in this region merits another port and that Kolkata Dock System (KDS) and Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) will not really be impacted. Excerpts from an interview:
What are the tonnage and revenue targets for the current fiscal for Kolkata Port Trust? How much did the port notch up in the previous fiscal?
We have done 15 percent more than in the previous fiscal in FY18. Traffic-wise, we are 13 percent more than in the previous year and we had the highest output in terms of tonnage at Kolkata Port Trust in the previous fiscal. In terms of tonnage, we handled 58.9 million tons (mt) while in the previous year, we had handled 52 mt. Our target for FY18 had been 55 mt.
Revenue-wise, we recorded revenues of ₹ 2,300 crore in FY18 which was a 15 percent growth over the previous fiscal of 2016-17. We overshot out target in FY18 by around 10 percent.
And in the current fiscal, we have fixed our tonnage target at 65 mt while revenuewise, we are targeting a 10 percent growth.
In this 65 mt of tonnage, what would be the share of coal, iron ore and finished steel products?
The share of coal, iron ore and finished steel products would be around 30-35 mt. And this target should be a growth of 15 percent over the previous fiscal. Which is good news, which means both the segments are improving.
What is the draft scenario like at present at both Kolkata Dock Systems (KDS) and Haldia Dock Complex (HDC)?
The draft level has improved. It is 8 metres at Haldia and 7.5 metres in Kolkata.
What is the status of the Sagar Port?
This story is from the June 2018 edition of Steel Insights.
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This story is from the June 2018 edition of Steel Insights.
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