SMP begins night pilotage in Hooghly upper reaches

Kolkata: The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP), Kolkata, has scripted a new chapter in its 155-year history by successfully conducting its first-ever night-time pilotage in the upper reaches of the Kolkata Dock System (KDS), enabling vessel movement through the narrow channel after dark.

In the significant operational breakthrough, the port’s experienced pilots safely navigated the container vessel Sinar Pangalam Susu on its inward voyage during hours of darkness, overcoming long-standing constraints that had restricted pilotage in the upper reaches to daylight hours.

The vessel, measuring 128 metres in length overall (LOA), with a draft of 6.1 metres, completed the transit under challenging navigational conditions in the Hooghly river system. The successful movement is being seen as a major step towards facilitating round-the-clock navigation at the riverine port.

The milestone follows a trial transit undertaken on May 2, 2025, when the outward-bound container vessel Sinar Penida was navigated as part of preparations for implementing night-time pilotage operations.