Ahmedabad, March 14 (IANS) Setting a new benchmark for efficiency on India’s eastern seaboard, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday commissioned the Haldia Bulk Terminal (HBT) and formally dedicated it to the nation.

Designed to handle dry bulk cargo at an annual capacity of 4 million metric tonnes Per Annum (MMTPA), the terminal is a fully automated bulk facility on the Hooghly River with direct rail connections – a structural upgrade for bulk cargo movement through India’s eastern maritime corridor.

“The Haldia Bulk Terminal is a next generation facility that brings full mechanisation and direct rail evacuation to the Hooghly. By eliminating jetty dumping and lowering cargo loss through advanced automated systems, we are ensuring cleaner, safer and more sustainable operations,” said Ashwani Gupta, Whole-time Director and CEO, APSEZ.

The terminal will play a pivotal role in strengthening industrial supply chains of West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand, while supporting the Prime Minister’s Modi vision of lowering logistics costs through modern multimodal infrastructure,” Gupta added.

The east coast accounts for about 60 per cent of India’s dry bulk imports, including coal, bauxite and limestone, making Haldia the most efficient and direct maritime entry port for the steel, aluminium and power industries of West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.

This capacity addition will materially reduce logistics costs and turnaround times for these industries, said the company.

Located within the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, the terminal has been developed under a 30-year concession through the Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) model by HDC Bulk Terminal Ltd — and delivered within its construction window, from commencement on July 14, 2023 to commissioning readiness today.

“This showcases the execution capability of APSEZ in executing projects on time, every time,” the company noted.

Since commencement of construction, Adani Ports has installed a 2,000 T Railway Wagon Loading System (RWLS) and commissioned of a 1.54 km dedicated railway line, enabling direct ship-to-train cargo evacuation; refurbished the existing jetty; installed advanced conveyor systems, automating the process; and deployed two stacker-cum-reclaimers for automated stockyard management.

The RWLS and the dedicated rail line are the terminal’s most consequential features. Together they allow bulk cargo discharged from vessels to load directly onto railway wagons and connect to the main lines, reducing port dwell time, and cutting the delivered cost of raw materials for industrial consumers across three states.

The Haldia Terminal is a direct expression of India’s ‘Sagarmala’ programme and the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, both of which prioritise multimodal port infrastructure to reduce India’s logistics costs.

–IANS

na/