Cargo volume handled by Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) stood at 39.88 million tonne (mn t) in 2012-13, which is 7.79 percent lower than 43.25 mn t in the previous fiscal.
In 2012-13, cargo throughput attained by Kolkata Dock System (KDS) declined 3.5 percent at 11.8 mn t.
On the other hand, cargo handled by Haldia Dock contracted 9.4 percent to 28.08 mn t during the fiscal. Reports indicate that Haldia Dock is likely to post a deficit of over Rs 200 crore in 2012-13 as against a surplus of Rs 90 crore in the previous year.
The port suffered revenue loss also because of the sudden exit of cargo handling operator Haldia Bulk Terminal (HBT) from Haldia in November 2012.
KoPT used to earn Rs 150 a tonne from mechanised cargo at berths two and eight, which were operated by HBT. This was much lower than charges on other non-mechanised berth.
In fact, KoPT itself on an average charges around Rs 233 per tonne. Hence, the exit of HBT certainly have an adverse effect to KoPT’s revenue.
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