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The all weather,deep water Indian Port Dhamra in Orissa, is progressing as per schedule and is expected to be operational by April 2010. Work on 25 % of phase-I has already been completed. Though the Dhamra project was visualized in late 1990s, the project could commence only in March 2007. One of the reasons for the delay is protests from environmental groups.

Some of the interesting features of Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL) are:

  • a 50:50 joint venture of Larsen & Toubro and Tata Steel. dpcl_1
  • L&T is the EPC contractor and Tata Steel is the provider of cargo for the port.
  • on BOOST (Build, Own, Operate, Share and Transfer) basis for a total period of 34 years including a period of 4 years for construction.
  • port at Dhamra is situated between Haldia and Paradeep and will be the deepest port of India with a draught of 18 metres
    • By road: Dhamra is connected by road with Bhadrak (82 kms),the nearest major town on the National Highway-5.
    • By rail: A single track broad gauge line between Bhadrak and Dhamra is being laid by DPCL.
    • By air: Nearest airport from Dhamra is Bhubaneswar, the state capital of Orissa.
  • can accommodate vessels up to 180,000 DWT
  • the master plan provides for 13 berths, capable of handling more than 83 million MT per annum of dry bulk, liquid bulk, break bulk and containerized cargo.
  • the port has obtained all necessary clearances including environmental clearance from Indian Government and from Orissa Pollution Control Board.
  • the port has also received rail traffic clearance from Indian Railways with whom it has signed an MOU for constructing a 62 km railway line from Bhadrak to Dhamra
  • protection of turtles habitat near the port site is being taken in consultation with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). A 13 page report from IUCN on ‘Scoping Mission to the Dhamra Port Project’ is available here.

Here are the highlights of Phase-I of DPCL.

  • construction of two fully mechanized berths of 350 metres each along with backup facilities for handling imports of coking coal, steam/thermal coal, limestone and export of iron ore
  • also laying of a 62 kilometers rail link from Dhamra to Bhadrak on the main Howrah-Chennai line
  • the estimated capacity of Phase-I is 25 million MT per annum
  • the estimated cost of phase-I of the project is Rs 2,463 crore
  • to be operational by April 2010

Here are some construction photographs available from DPCL.

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More photographs are available here and maps of Dhamra are available here.

An interesting video clip about the project is available here.

Update: August 22

Greenpeace activists in Mumbai staged a demonstration outside the headquarters of Tata company on August 20, against Port Dhamra being set up by the company.  Read more from WebIndia123.

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