Thaindian News

Bhubaneswar, July 25 (IANS) Orissa’s Dhamra port, which became commercially operational on May 7, has received its first ultra-large vessel carrying 150,000 tonnes of coal from Australia, an official said Monday.

The 180,000 DWT China Steel Responsibility arrived Sunday evening with its cargo for Tata Steel.

At 290 metres, the vessel is the largest to berth in Orissa or neighbouring West Bengal.

Dhamra port in the coastal district of Bhadrak, about 170 km from here, is a 50:50 joint-venture between Larsen and Toubro (L&T;) and Tata Steel.

It took around 20 days for the ship to reach Dhamra from Australia via Singapore. After unloading the cargo, the vessel is likely to return July 27, the official said.

Dhamra port has two berths of 350 metre each and presently has a handling capacity of 25 MTPA (million tones per annum). The 18 km channel of the port has a depth of 18 meters, capable to handle vessels up to 180,000 DWT, he said.

The first cargo ship had berthed at Dhamra port Sep 18 last year. The ship, Yin Pu, had carried around 23,000 tonnes of coal from Australia.

Till date, 20 ships have berthed the Dhamra Port, including the present vessel.

Since the commencement of commercial operation of the port, transportation of cargo by rail has started from Dhamra.

Till now, 94 full rakes — each rake consists of 59 wagons — of cargo have been sent from the port to various locations. The 62 km Dhamra-Bhadrak rail link is connected to the main Howrah-Chennai line, the official said.