)
Gopalpur Port in south Odisha has started its commercial operation as an all-weather port on a trial basis from Sunday. Around 7,500 metric tonnes of ilmenite, the sand mineral product of Odisha Sands Complex (OSCOM), a unit of the Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL), was shipped through a small vessel to South Korea. The empty ship was anchored in the port on May 23 to take the cargo.
‘It was the first vessel anchored in the port after Gopalpur was declared as an all weather port. It was a test run. We will rectify the defects before the port starts functioning in full-fledged manner within a month”, said director (operation) of Gopalpur Port Limited (GPL), MM Moharana.
“More number of vessels are expected to come to the port to carry export cargo like the iron ore, IREL products and some other minerals and food grains”, he stated.
The clearance for the operation of the port from the Pollution Control Board (PCB) and customs department was accorded on May 14. The port operation was stopped since 2010 for its upgradation to an all weather port. Before 2010, the port, located at Arjeepalli, about 30 km from here, was functioning as a seasonal port.
“We have constructed a multi-purpose berth with a capacity to handle 3.50 million tonnes of cargo. Two more berths would be added very soon to handle more cargo”, Moharana said.
