KoPT gets six bids for Haldia port berths

Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) had failed to replace its earlier joint venture with Haldia Bulk Terminmal (HBT) which operated two mechanised berth in its Haldia Port even after four years of the laters exit.  Today finally it received bids from six companies for the same.

According to KoPT officials, Global Enterprise, Orissa Manganese Ore and Minerals , E C Bose & Company, IRC Natural Resources, Sri Shyam Services and Om Metaliks have submitted bids to operate two mechanised berths (berth no 2 and berth no 8) in Haldia ports. The bids are yet to be scrutinised.

Incidentally, this is the fifth time KoPT floated tender seeking HBT's exit in November, 2011. Earlier on a few ocassions KoPT got bids form few firms but the the handling charges quoted were "unaffordable" for KoPT.

"In earlier tenders, it was even higher than the the handling charge of Rs 227 per tonne suggested by tariff authority guideline," a KoPT official said.

Incidentally, Haldia Bulk Terminals, a joint venture between homegrown ABG Infralogistics and French company Louis Dreyfus Armateurs , used to charge the Kolkata Port Trust Rs 75 per tonne of cargo, which was far below than upper limit suggested by the tariff authority.

HBT had signed an agreement with the KoPT to operate two mechanised berths till 2020. However, HBT found itself in a political turmoil after the berth operator retrenched 275 employees citing low cargo allocation by KoPT. HBT had also alleged "vested interest" in diversion of cargo to the expensive manual berths, run by former Trinamool MP Swapan Sadhan Bose promoted Ripley & Co. This finally culminated HBT's exit from Haldia Dock Complex in November, 2011.