KoPT stops vessel movement as cyclone 'Amphan' approaches

    Kolkata, May 19 (PTI) As cyclone 'Amphan' nears the
shores of West Bengal, the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) has
issued warnings to mariners and stopped movement of all
vessels to and from its docks to prevent any damage to port
assets and merchant ships, an official said on Tuesday.
    The port authority has also asked ships anchored at
the sandheads to take necessary measures to avoid any accident
due to the storm, he said.
    "Control rooms have been set up at Subhas Bhavan,
Sagar and Jawahar Tower at Haldia for 24-hour monitoring. All
19 vessels at sandheads have proceeded to deep sea to avoid
the path of the storm," KoPT chairman Vinit Kumar said.
    All cargo handling operation at Diamond Harbour and
Sagar anchorage has also been stopped, he said.
    "All the movement of inward and outward vessels have
been cancelled at Kolkata and Haldia docks as a safety measure
to prevent any damage to port assets and merchants' vessels,"
the official said.
    The vessel management system will not be functioned
during the storm to prevent it from lightning strikes, he
said.
    The barges have been asked to take adequate protection
and no ships have been kept at the oil jetties of Haldia and
Budge Budge, KoPT spokesperson Sanjoy Kumar Mukherjee said.
    At present, there are 15 merchant vessels at Kolkata
Dock System (KDS) and 11 at Haldia Dock Complex (HDC).
    "Pilot vessel Ma Ganga and four pilot launches have
been given shelter inside the Haldia Dock Complex as a
precautionary measure," he said, adding that all ships berthed
at the HDC and the KDS have been directed to take necessary
steps with additional mooring ropes.
    All the utility crafts, either owned by the port or
hired, have been taken inside the docks except few boats which
will be deployed for exigency," he added. PTI BSM
BDC BDC

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)