Bharati Shipyard’s plan of making cape-size vessels of above 1,00,000 dead weight tonne (dwt) has hit a roadblock, with Dhamra Port raising objections about land allotment to the Bharati Shipyard-Apeejay Group JV, which proposed to set up a Rs 2,000-crore shipyard on the coast of Orissa near Dhamra port.
Bharati Shipyard vice-president Subir Chak-raborty said the Orissa government allotted 1,100 acre to the JV, Bengal Shipyard, a year ago but no physical transfer of land has happened so far.
Now Dhamra Port, Chakraborty said, has raised objections to land allotment and has demanded exclusive rights of the water surrounding the project area.
A Dhamra Port official said, ?Since the water surrounding the shipyard project would be a passage to the port, we cannot allow anyone else to use the water for any other project?.
?We need an exclusive right of that water to make our port functional,? the official added. ?We understand that water within 5 nautical miles is a state property and beyond that up to 12 nautical miles is a national property. But how can a port operate without having exclusive rights on the water surrounding it,? the official said, adding, ?anyone else using the waters surrounding the port would obstruct entry of ships into the port.
Chakraborty said the Orissa government has asked the JV company to shift its project a kilometre ahead of the proposed site but that won’t be possible because that site doesn’t have the required draught to keep cape-size vessels afloat.
?We plan to make ships of 3,00,000 dwt, which has never been made in India and has not even entered the Indian waters so far. Making such ships require at least 12-15 metres draught. If we cannot set up our project on the land that has been officially allotted, we may have to pull out of Orissa,? Chakrabortry said.
Bharati Shipyard’s MD V Kumar said the company was looking for an alternative site in Andhra Pradesh, though it has not made any final decision of pulling out from Orissa.