Posted on August 24, 2026
Paradip Port took a major step up in cargo-handling capacity on Friday as Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated seven infrastructure projects worth Rs 427.80 crore, headlined by a new 18.5-metre deep-draft capability that will let the port receive fully laden Capesize vessels in its inner harbour for the first time.
The deep-draft project, built through capital dredging at a cost of Rs 352 crore, accounts for the bulk of the day’s investment and is expected to improve economies of scale while cutting vessel turnaround and logistics costs. The remaining projects inaugurated include a Rs 24.89-crore, 500-metre three-lane bridge over Atharbanki Creek meant to ease congestion on a route used by nearly 3,000 trucks daily; a Rs 20-crore piped natural gas (PNG) supply project for residential quarters in the port area, expected to cut household gas expenses by up to 40 percent; a Rs 15.50-crore advanced Vessel Traffic Management and Information System; a Rs 12.18-crore upgraded administrative office building; and a Rs 2.10-crore sports hostel for athletes.
Alongside the inaugurations, Paradip Port Authority (PPA) signed concession agreements for three mechanisation projects worth a combined Rs 1,580.36 crore, part of its plan to take berth mechanisation to 100 percent by 2030 from the current 80 percent. The agreements cover a 5 MTPA South Quay mechanisation project awarded to Yogayatan Paradip SQB Terminal Pvt Ltd (Rs 498.69 crore, Build-Operate-Transfer basis), an 8 MTPA Multipurpose Berth mechanisation project awarded to Kalinga Bulk Terminal Paradip Pvt Ltd (Rs 630.67 crore, also BOT), and a 10 MTPA captive CQ-III mechanisation project awarded to AMNS Paradip Logistics Pvt Ltd (an estimated Rs 451 crore).
Mr. Sonowal also planted the port’s one-millionth tree during the visit, marking a green-cover milestone that traces back to plantation drives launched after the 1999 Super Cyclone. PPA said nearly one lakh trees have been planted annually over the past four years through the effort.
“The expansion of Paradip Port’s capacity is not only about strengthening one port; it is about creating a growth multiplier for eastern India,” Sonowal said, adding that deeper drafts, modern cargo-handling infrastructure, improved connectivity and greater mechanisation would position Paradip to drive trade, logistics, industry and employment across the region.
Mr. Sonowal was accompanied by Odisha Minister of State for Industries, Skill Development and Technical Education Sampad Chandra Swain, Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai, and Paradip Port Authority Chairman P L Haranadh, among other officials. As part of its community initiatives, PPA also highlighted placement-linked training provided to 168 unemployed youth from Odisha, alongside skill-development programmes for fishing communities around the Paradip Fishing Harbour.
Following the inaugural ceremony, Mr. Sonowal also opened a new sports hostel at the Paradip Port Authority campus and interacted with sportspersons at the facility, briefly joining a game of cricket.
