Syamaprasad Mookerjee Port to start night navigation for small vessels from August
kolkata: The Syamaprasad Mookerjee Port (SMP), Kolkata, will begin night navigation operations for small vessels from August, this year, while Ship-to-Ship (lighterage) operations have helped the port overcome the challenges surrounding low draft, contributing towards increase in trans-shipment cargo.
Addressing a press conference, the Chairman of the port, PL Haranadh said that since Kolkata Port is dependent on tides it is not accessible to vessels throughout the day unlike other major ports that are open to vessels 24x7.
“However, we are starting night navigation facilities by August 2023 for small vessels which can then enter the port for cargo operations during the night. The facility will be soon extended to all vessels by March 2024,” he said.
The night navigation facility will include satellite based-virtual buoys that will guide vessels at night between Sagar Island and Kidderpore Dock. A team from the Kolkata Port visited the Antwerp Port in Belgium where such a facility is in use since that port is also a riverine port. The Kolkata Port had also roped in IIT Chennai as a consultant in the project. Following the implementation, the facility is expected to increase the capacity of vessel calling.
Further, the Chairman said that the port has been finally able to overcome its draft issue substantially. He said: “The major limitation for Kolkata and Haldia is the low draft of about 7.3m to 8.5m which allows only small vessels to enter the port. However, in today’s time big vessels are in demand since more cargo can be carried in a single vessel, thus reducing logistics cost.”
The Chairman said: “Kolkata Port, the only riverine port in the country, cannot increase its draft any further. Hence, the port had to think of innovative solutions to a problem posed by nature. Our team decided to begin Ship-to-Ship operations (lighterage operations) at the Sandhead where big or cape size vessels can be brought. These vessels require a draft of 16m to 18m. We are sending barges there, and subsequently cargo is being unloaded from big ships to small vessels which then bring it to the port. As a result, the port has been able to overcome the draft problem substantially, registering a 96 per cent growth in cargo traffic. The port witnessed 4 million tonnes of cargo traffic.”
About 21 cape size vessels were handled by the port in 2022 from April to September. The total number until now is 33.
The Chairman also highlighted that like Bangladesh, Kolkata Port is also looking ahead to soon use Sittwe Port in Myanmar as a transit port to send cargo to North Eastern states in India. Presently, ports in Bangladesh are being used as transit ports for the same.
