Paradip Port plans Rs 10,000-cr capacity addition
Paradip Port Trust has announced its plans to invest Rs 10,000 crore to enhance its cargo handling capacity to 400 million tonnes by 2030, in a bid to become the top major port in India. According to the Chairman P L Haranadh, the port in Odisha is currently ranked second among all the 12 major ports in India, with a handling capacity of 135.36 million tonnes in 2022-23, only 2.5 million tonnes less than Kandla port in Gujarat. The port aims to mechanize 100% of its berths and increase its coastal shipping capacity from the current 74 million tonnes to 100 million tonnes by 2030. The port's strategy to increase its capacity utilisation includes measures such as tariff freeze, emphasis on coastal shipping for competitiveness, land allocation for port-led industrialisation, and expanding its cargo basket. Paradip Port aims to handle 150 million tonnes of cargo in the current fiscal year and increase its capacity to 500 million tonnes by 2047.