MV Ten Jo Maru at Paradip Port. Telegraph picture

Paradip, Nov. 28: The state’s lone major port here has provided hassle-free berthing facility to larger cargo carrying ships recording highest ever cargo handling at one go with the berthing of a deep draft ship.

Port sources said 95,632 metric tonnes of coking coal was unloaded, which was the port’s highest ever cargo handling since it started operational in the sixties.

The British ship Ten Jo Maru that was anchored at the newly carved out central quay berth came under super-panamax category of giant ships with 240-metre long and 34-metre wide. The vessel carried high-grade coking coal from Hey point port in Australia to Paradip port.

Earlier, the highest bulk cargo of 91,956 metric tonnes of steam coal had been unloaded at the Central Quay-1 berth from the Venus Heritage vessel on February 21.

“The British vessel carrying high grade coke from Australia was berthed at the port. It is the deepest draft vessel to have been berthed here with highest cargo handling,” said the Paradip Port Trust’s traffic manager Kishore Kumar Sahu.

“The port trust is now well equipped with accommodating larger deep draft ships in the wake of the refurbishment of the harbour,” he said.

“Now, the port can accommodate ships carrying 80,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) capacity cargo or more. This would lead to enlargement of annual business turnover of the port, said the port’s deputy conservator Gouri Prasad Biswal. The draft of central quay berth–I has been enhanced to 14 metres under the recent by dredging. This berth will be effectively used for handling various types of bulk and break bulk cargo.

“Large cargo-carrying ships had remained out of bounds for Paradip port. Hitherto, the port is equipped to provide berthing accommodation 75,000 tonne capacity cargo ships. With a deeper harbour and central quay berth, 1.25 lakh tonne capacity cargo ships could make inroads into the port berths,” he said.