The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
PARADIP, NOV 23, 2023
The development of the Western Dock of the Paradip Port is expected to boost economic activities and employment in Odisha and beyond, said Jindal Steel & Power (JSP) Chairman Naveen Jindal, here on Thursday.
Performing the Bhoomi Puja for commencement of the construction work for the Western Dock of Paradip Port, Jindal said, “The new Western Dock will be developed as the most modern terminal and will greatly enhance the current and expansion capabilities of large industries in the hinterlands of Odisha.”
Paradip Port Authority (PPA) Chairman PL Haranadh and other senior officials of the Port were present on the occasion.
Last year, a JSP-led consortium won the bid to build a 25-million-tonne (MT) capacity dry bulk cargo terminal at the Western Dock of the Paradip Port. A special purpose vehicle, Jindal Paradip Port Limited (JPPL), has been formed by the leading steel major Jindal Steel & Power and Jindal Port Private Ltd for this project.
The foundation stone for the development of Western Dock was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 17, 2023, during the third edition of the Global Maritime Summit 2023 held in Mumbai.
JPPL will invest about Rs 3,392 crore for the development of the western dock of the Paradip Port. The first phase of the project, with a capacity of 12.5 MTPA, is expected to be operational in early 2025. The project involves building five berths, carrying out 17 million cubic metres of capital dredging, laying 25-km of railway track, installing five ship unloaders of high capacity, six stacker reclaimer machines to handle bulk cargo, 14-km of efficient conveyor system, two silos of 4000 tonne capacity each to load coal in railway wagons, two mechanised wagon loaders to load lime stone in railway wagons, and facilities for steel cargo handling.
The overall capacity of the Western Dock Project is 25 MTPA, and with efficient cargo handling operations, the capacity can reach up to 30 MTPA.
