PARADIP: In a first, material left from maintenance dredging of the port will be utilised to reclaim land for Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL)’s storage terminal at Paradip. The unique initiative will be taken by Dredging Corporation of India.
NRL on Wednesday entered into a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Paradip Port Trust (PPT) and Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) for reclamation of the proposed 200 acres of land allotted to it for setting up its Crude Oil import terminal (COIT) at Paradip Port.
The terminal is being set up as part of NRL’s integrated refinery expansion project which is being implemented at an estimated cost of more that `22,000 crore. The mega project entails import of crude oil at Paradip port and laying of pipeline to Numaligarh for the purpose.
Project activities have gathered pace after receipt of environmental clearance in July this year. DCI shall start the dredging activity from mid-November and is expected to complete the reclamation work within a period of seven months.
Union Minister of Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya has been encouraging ports across the country to adopt beneficial reuse of dredge material.