A study will soon be commissioned under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Shipping to determine the techno-economic feasibility of a minor port at Kulpi, in the wake of the work to be done at the Balari sandhead of Haldia port. The study will most probably be conducted by the National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai.

While all efforts would be made to set up a minor port at Kulpi, this would not be allowed to happen at the cost of work being done at Haldia. While the draft at Haldia is 8.5m, the draft at Kulpi too would be the same.

The feasibility study would focus on the impact the work at Balari sandhead would have on Kulpi, and also on the size of the ships that the Kulpi port will be able to accommodate. On this will depend the private investors' decision to invest in setting up a port at Kulpi.

The port at Kulpi is being set up by Bengal Ports Company, a joint venture of a wholly owned subsidiary of P&O Ports India, the Keventer Group and West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation Ltd.

Also See:

Agreements signed for Kulpi ports and SEZ projects (12-Aug-04)