Paradip Port

Overview

Paradip Port is a natural, deep-water port on the East coast of India in Paradip. It is just 53 km (33 mi) from Jagatsinghpur city in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha, India. The port is where the Mahanadi river meets the Bay of Bengal.

The port can handle dry and breakbulk cargo, oil, and has special mooring terminals. It mainly handles ships called Panamax-sized carriers but can also handle larger ships. The port is deep enough to welcome very large ships up to 300 metres (980 ft) long.

Paradip Port serves parts of Central and East India. It moves bulk cargoes and crude oil. The port is managed by the Paradip Port Authority (PPA), an autonomous corporation owned by the Government of India.

History

Paradip is a big port in India. It is the only major port in the state of Odisha. Biju Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha, started the idea of building Paradip Port. The port is on the east coast near where the Mahanadi River meets the Bay of Bengal.

Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India at the time, began building the port on January 3, 1962. The Indian government took control of the port on June 1, 1965. The port officially opened on March 12, 1966, and became India's eighth major port.

Port layout and infrastructure

Harbour

The Paradip Port has a special harbour with two big walls called breakwaters to protect it. One wall is on the north and the other on the south. The harbour was made by digging up land along the sea. The water in the harbour is deep enough for large ships to move easily.

Docks and Quays

Approach channel

There is a long channel at the sea where ships can move to and from the port. The channel is deep and wide enough for big ships to come and go, even with the help of tides.

Single Point Mooring Terminals

The port has three Special Mooring Terminals called SPM Terminal-1, SPM Terminal-2, and SPM Terminal-3. These terminals can welcome big oil tankers. They are built to handle large amounts of oil each year for Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL).