Calcutta, Oct. 14: The river draft for ships calling at Haldia has reached its lowest level ever, Calcutta Port Trust declared today, dealing a blow to industry which is left with little choice but to spend more on transportation.

The port trust said the average draft in the Auckland channel — an imaginary waterway that ships sail through in the Hooghly — has gone down to 6.9 metres from 7.2 metres last month and 7.6 in end-August.

Today’s level means ships with capacity to carry 55,000 tonnes of cargo can bring at best 22,000 tonnes to Haldia.

This will turn transportation via Haldia, about 90km from Calcutta, costlier because industries will have to use more ships to bring the same volume of cargo.

Steel Authority of India, Tata Steel, Haldia Petrochemicals, Mitsubishi PTA and Indian Oil Corporation are among the heavy users of the port apart from some of the power companies. Coal, iron ore and petroleum products are the three main goods handled.

Anindya Majumdar, the acting chairman of Calcutta Port Trust, called the situation “critical” but promised to ensure operations continued. “We will not let the port shut down,” he told a hurriedly called news meet in Calcutta.

However, Rajeev Dubey, deputy chairman of the Haldia port, sounded fatalistic. “No one can fight nature,” he said, sitting next to Majumdar.

Six dredgers owned by the Dredging Corporation of India are working at Haldia, though their efficacy has been under the scanner for long.

Majumdar said two more, one from Paradip and another from Goa, were on their way. Dredging Corporation is also planning to hire two “effective” dredgers to replace two of those at work.

However, the port appeared to be running out of ideas on how to tackle siltation.

The Centre does not allow any company but its own corporation to work in Haldia.

Captain A.K. Bagchi, director of the marine department of the port trust, said Haldia was doing the best it could.

The port can keep a maximum of nine dredgers, said experts. Keeping any more of them on the river will affect shipping movement.

Some port officials said the only viable long-term option was to open a new channel for ships bypassing the existing Auckland and Jellingham.

Bikash Choudhary, the chief hydraulic engineer of the port trust, said a 2.5km stretch had to dredged for that. It can be done only when the weather is good, between October and March, he added.

However, commissioning the project this year is near impossible as the port has to first issue a global tender.

The Haldia crisis comes at a time space crunch at Calcutta port has prompted shipping lines to slap a $250-surcharge on every container.