Visakhapatnam: With workers’ protest at the Adani’s Gangavaram Port refusing to relent, the public sector major, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) has decided to divert two of ships laden with imported coking coal to Vizag port to augment coal supply to its Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
In a statement, RINL has stated that the workers’ protest at Adani’s Gangavaram Port has jeopardise coal supply to its steel plant. Operation of Visakhapatnam steel plan could be badly impacted if coal supply did not resume without further delay.
The RINL said that it has launched a comprehensive strategy to mitigate the impact of the disruptions and uphold operational continuity. The steel PSU is heavily reliant on the services of Adani Gangavaram Port Ltd (AGPL) for handling imported raw materials, including coking coal and limestone, which are vital for its production processes.
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Enraged by apathy of the AGPL management on their long-pending demands, including revision of salary and better working conditions, workers have been agitating for over a week now. The RINL had sought the role of the district administration to resolve the impasse. However, the strike continued as the district magistrate’s appeal to the workers did not yield any tangible results. The DM also appealed to the AGPL to negotiate with agitating staff owing to his limitations due to his engagements with the Lok Sabha elections.
The RINL said that two vessels laden with 150,000 tonnes of coal, which reached at AGPL, are awaiting berthing instructions. The materials on board these vessels are urgently required at the RINL plant to maintain production continuity. Any further delay in berthing of the vessel and transfer of the cargo threatens to hamper the production at RINL.
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RINL said that it was looking to divert its two ships to Vizag Port with the help of Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA), as it was already availing of a commodity loan of 50,000 tonnes of coal from alternate ports. “We are is also calling a global tender emergency procurement of 1.50 lakh tonnes of coal to tide over the imminent crisis of coal supply,” said a senior officer of RINL.
