IWAI receives cargo commitments of 5.92 MT at Haldia

The Dollar Business Bureau                                                 

The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has got a commitment for transportation of 5.92 million tonnes of cargo volume a year via multi-modal terminal at Haldia Port (West Bengal) by 2018. 

“The IWAI has received a commitment for transport of 5.92 million tonnes (MTs) of cargo volume per annum through the multimodal terminal at Haldia by the year 2018,” said the release on Friday. 

This follows a number of consultations by the IWAI at Haldia with several firms, industries, shipping lines, shippers, cargo operators and manufacturers. The major items are fly-ash, vegetable oil, edible oil, gypsum, etc, it said. 

Fly-ash is likely to be the major cargo having a commitment of 3.8 million tonnes, followed by vegetable oil 0.63 million tonnes, cement 0.36 million tonnes, among others. 

A multimodal terminal at Haldia is to be constructed by IWAI under the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP). It is being implemented with the financial and technical support of the World Bank at a cost of Rs.4200 crore for enhancing navigation activities on the Haldia-Varanasi segment of National Waterway 1. 

For constructing the terminal, 61-acre of land has been taken on lease from the Kolkata Port Trust, at Haldia Dock Complex. The terminal is situated in the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) and requires a clearance of the CRZ from the West Bengal State Coastal Zone Management Authority. As soon as the CRZ clearance is received, the construction work of the terminal would be started. 

Apart from Haldia, two multi-modal terminals are also being built under JMVP. Construction has already been started at the Varanasi terminal. The tender for Sahibganj terminal has been awarded on October 14, 2016. 

When JMVP would be completed, it will facilitate commercial navigation of ships with capacity of 1500-2,000 DWT on National Waterway 1.