Adani makes its debut in Bengal with the Haldia Dock project, its sights also set on Tajpur Port 

Adani Group, India's largest private port operator, is planning a move into West Bengal. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) took up a berth at the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) on Thursday, marking the company's official entry into the state's marine industry.

The Haldia Dock Complex is operated by Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (previously Kolkata Port Trust), which on Thursday officially handed over the letter of award (LoA) to Gautam Adani's Adani Ports (APSEZ) for mechanisation and upgradation of Berth No. 2 at HDC. The project would cost an estimated 298.25 crore and is expected to be completed by 2024-25.

The project was won by Adani Port, who offered the Calcutta Port a royalty share of Rs 75 per metric tonne. The new state-of-the-art dock, if operational, will be capable of processing 3.744 million metric tonnes of dry cargo per year.

Unloading from ships with a rail-mounted Mobile Harbour Crane, conveying with a conveyor system, stackers, and reclaimer, and loading into waggons with a quick waggon loading system with SILO are all part of the mechanised handling facility. It will ensure rapid loading of dry bulk goods into waggons through an end-to-end fully automated solution, resulting in significant time savings and increased production.

Once operational, the new upgraded mechanised berth will be able to load a full rake in under two hours, saving around three hours every rake. "The integrated end-to-end solution shall benefit the trade and reduce overall logistics costs," said Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Chairman Vinit Kumar.

On Thursday, APSEZ CEO Karan Adani met Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state office in Kolkata to take over the project. This is the Adanis' and GoWB's second high-level meeting. Last December, industrialist Gautam Adani met with Banerjee in Kolkata.

The West Bengal administration has recently been courting the Adanis to invest in the state ahead of the Bengal Global Business Summit, which is set to take place in April. Except for Adani Wilmar, an edible oil business in Haldia, the Adani Group has had little presence in Bengal.

According to sources, Thursday's meeting is critical since the Adanis are a frontrunner for the Mamata Banerjee government's planned Tajpur greenfield sea port, with the deadline for bid submissions extended to February 15. The proposed project, which is located in East Midnapore, is expected to attract investments of Rs 15,000 crore. According to reports, the Deocha-Pachami coal mining project in Birbhum, Asia's largest coal block, is another key investment potential that the state administration is eager to exploit.