Coking coal supply to the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant from Adani Gangavaram Port has resumed

Because of the workers' strike that began on April 12, the port was filled with imported coal.

On Friday, the conveyor belt that carries coking coal from Gangavaram port to the Visakhapatnam steel factory was back in service.

Finally, on Friday, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (Visakhapatnam Steel Plant) began receiving coking coal from Adani Gangavaram port. Due to a strike by port employees, the plant's imported coal has been stored at the port since April 12.

The Steel Executives' Association General Secretary, K.V.D. Prasad, told The Hindu that the strike had been called off, opening the door for coal delivery starting on Friday.

The matter was resolved via a number of discussions, which included the Steel Executives' Association filing suits in the A.P. High Court, plant workers holding protests, Visakhapatnam Collector A. Mallikarjuna intervening, and letters sent by plant CMD Atul Bhatt in the past.

On Friday, the supply operation got underway again at around nine in the morning. The facility would receive close to 15,000 metric tons of coal on Day One. In addition to this, 4,200 metric tons of limestone would be delivered to the facility. According to the sources, 3.25 lakh tons of remaining coal will be delivered to the facility during the next two weeks.

2,300 metric tons of coal in the B shift and 4,248 metric tons in the A shift arrived at the plant.

On May 22, a second coking coal shipment will arrive in Visakhapatnam from the United States. The sources informed The Hindu that a further 75,000 metric tons of coal-laden freighter is still on its way from Indonesia.

During this time, the plant's activities were severely hampered by a lack of coal.

In response, Mr. Bhatt expressed his thanks to all parties involved in addressing the problem of raw material transportation from Adani Gangavaram Port to RINL in an official statement.

When operations at M/s. Adani Gangavaram Port Limited (AGPL) were suspended on April 12, 2024 as a result of worker protest, Mr. Bhatt said that RINL was confronted with an unprecedented problem. He stated, "RINL's ability to obtain essential raw materials, coking coal and limestone, which are crucial for our production processes, was significantly affected by this disruption."

"The unwavering support of all parties involved in this subject, including suppliers and consumers, is critical to guaranteeing RINL's continuous and safe operations. This support will also assist to protect our priceless assets, employment, and the region's economic development. Now, we will concentrate on gradually increasing production in accordance with raw material availability and make every effort to minimize the loss incurred over the last month as a result of this raw material problem, Mr. Bhatt said.