Gopalpur port resumes operation in Odisha anchoring Sri Lanka vessel   

BHUBANESWAR: The Gopalpur port on Odisha’s southern coast on Saturday resumed operations after a gap of two years with anchoring a Sri Lankan vessel.

A vessel from Sri Lanka ‘Grace’ with a shipment of around 20,000 tonne of sand of Odisha Sands Complex (OSCOM), a unit of Indian Rare Earths Ltd (IREL) anchored at the dock in Ganjam district.

State Transport Minister Ramesh Majhi flagged off the re-functioning of Phailin-ravaged Gopalpur Port in the presence of local MP Siddhant Mahapatra.

Operations stopped after the Phailin cyclone hit the state’s southern coast in Oct 2013. A year later, the port was hit again by another cyclonic storm, Hudhud. Several portions of the port, including its breakwater, had been damaged following the cyclonic storms.

“Some more cargo vessels have lined up to anchor during the current month”, said Manmohan Moharana, director (operations) of Gopalpur Port Limited (GPL).

The reopening of the Phailin-ravaged Gopalpur Port in south Odisha has cheered up and boosted up the locals as well as more than 5000 workers depended on it for their bread and butter.

The seasonal port, which was upgraded to an all-weather port in May 2013, had incurred around Rs 250 crore losses due to Phailin.

“The port has been repaired with enhancing of its cargo handling capacity,” said Moharana.

Now, it will be able to accommodate 50,000-tonne vessels. Earlier, it could not handle more than 15,000-tonners.

The depth and length of the jetty have been increased to 12.5 metres and 225 metres, from 10 metres and 150 metres, respectively.

Located in southern Odisha’s Ganjam coast, it is the third one in the state, after Paradip and Dhamra.