KoPT restarts container handling at Kidderpore Dock after a decade

With the first vessel arriving at Kidderpore Dock (KPD) from Tamil Nadu’s Kattupalli Port, the Kolkata Port Trust has resumed container handling at KPD after nearly 10 years, says a report.

It was the vessel MCP London that made the maiden coastal voyage from Kattupalli to Kidderpore Dock. Kolkata Port had invested in Kidderpore Dock to attract coastal cargo. After 10 years, it is being utilised for handling containers, said a Port Trust communiqué.

The vessel, carrying 50 TEUs of construction-related material and white goods from Krishnapatnam and Kattupalli, berthed at the dock on July 5, 2019 and sailed back the following day, with the next port of call being Krishnapatnam. On its return from KPD, it carried 116 TEUs of containers of mainline operators. The vessel will return to Kolkata on July 14, taking 7 days for a round trip.

The dock’s future loading plans envisage converting road movement of cars, project cargo, white goods, etc. into coastal shipping mode, the release disclosed.