Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates Rs 427.80 crore projects at Paradip Port, marks 18.5-metre deep-draft capability

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated seven major infrastructure projects worth Rs 427.80 crore at Paradip Port Authority in Paradip, Odisha, marking the port’s 18.5-metre deep-draft capability and its one-millionth tree milestone, while also witnessing the signing of concession agreements for three mechanisation projects worth Rs 1,580.36 crore aimed at further strengthening Paradip’s capacity, efficiency and cargo-handling capabilities.

The projects span navigation, connectivity, safety, sustainability, residential infrastructure and community development, while the mechanisation projects are aimed at improving cargo handling and reducing vessel turnaround time. The Union Minister was joined by Odisha Minister of State (Independent Charge), Department of Industries, Skill Development and Technical Education, Sampad Chandra Swain; Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai; Paradip Port Authority Chairman P L Haranadh; Deputy Chairman T Venu Gopal; and senior officials, stakeholders and members of the Paradip Port community.

Sonowal said the expansion of Paradip Port’s capacity is not only about strengthening one port but about creating a growth multiplier for eastern India, adding that with deeper drafts, modern cargo-handling infrastructure, improved connectivity and greater mechanisation, Paradip is well positioned to drive trade, logistics, industry and employment across the region and contribute to India’s emergence as a globally competitive maritime economy.

The Rs 427.80 crore project package includes 18.5-metre deep-draft capability at Rs 352 crore, with capital dredging enabling Paradip to handle fully laden Capesize vessels in its inner harbour; the Atharbanki Second New Bridge at Rs 24.89 crore, a 500-metre, three-lane bridge expected to ease congestion along a route used by nearly 3,000 trucks daily; a Sports Hostel at Rs 2.10 crore; an Administrative Office Building façade upgrade at Rs 12.18 crore, executed by NBCC (India) Ltd; Piped Natural Gas supply to residential quarters at Rs 20 crore, developed with Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd and expected to make Paradip the first major port to provide PNG to its residential township; and an Advanced Vessel Traffic Management and Information System at Rs 15.50 crore, developed with the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts at IIT Madras. Sonowal also planted Paradip Port’s one-millionth tree, marking a milestone in the port’s plantation and green-cover initiatives that began after the 1999 Super Cyclone.

PPA also signed concession agreements for three mechanisation projects worth Rs 1,580.36 crore, as part of its plan to achieve 100% berth mechanisation by 2030, up from the current 80%. The agreements cover the 5 MTPA South Quay mechanisation project, awarded to M/s Yogayatan Paradip SQB Terminal Pvt Ltd at an estimated Rs 498.69 crore on a Build-Operate-Transfer basis; the 8 MTPA Multipurpose Berth mechanisation project, awarded to M/s Kalinga Bulk Terminal Paradip Pvt Ltd at Rs 630.67 crore, also on a BOT basis; and the 10 MTPA captive CQ-III mechanisation project, awarded to M/s AMNS Paradip Logistics Pvt Ltd at an estimated Rs 451 crore.

Sonowal said the development of Paradip is part of the wider transformation underway in India’s maritime sector, adding that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India has embarked on an unprecedented phase of maritime modernisation over the past 12 years, strengthening the country’s ports, waterways, shipping and maritime capabilities and making the sector a powerful engine of growth anchoring Atmanirbhar Bharat and the journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047.

PPA also highlighted two CSR-funded skill-development initiatives undertaken during 2025-26, providing financial assistance to the Centre of Excellence in Maritime and Shipbuilding (CEMS), Visakhapatnam, for placement-linked training of 168 unemployed youth from Odisha, and supporting the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) in conducting skill-development programmes for Odisha’s fishing communities around Paradip Fishing Harbour, covering fish quality, responsible fishing practices and sustainable fisheries awareness.