န Cyclone hits cargo operation at West Bengal ports

Kolkata, 26 May : The cyclonic storm that lashed West Bengal on Monday has hit cargo operations at Kolkata and Haldia ports, while unloading of two crude oil vessels was stopped at another port, government officials told today.The ports handle imports of sugar, crude oil, vegetable oils, coal, cooking gas and other commodities, while exports from these ports include iron ore, tea, steel and jute. It was not clear which commodities were affected by the storm. "As many as 27 ships are at these two docks and cargo handling has been affected," said Rajeev Dube, deputy chairman of the Kolkata Port Trust.He said 11 ships were berthed at Kolkata and the rest at Haldia, while another 12 ships bound for these ports were stranded at the sea. Kolkata port handles about 30,000 tonnes of cargoes each day, while the daily average cargoes handled at Haldia, where bigger vessels can berth, is 100,000 tonnes. န Photo : AP