Cyclone warning for Chennai
The Indian Meteorological Department said cyclonic storm Nilam was about 450 kilometres south-southeast of Chennai at 1430 local time (0900 GMT). The IMD said the system was expected to move north-northwest and cross the coast near Chennai by the evening of Oct. 31.
The port official said so far two of the 10 vessels waiting for loading or discharge of cargoes have been moved outside to ensure the port's safety and the others would be moved gradually.
Cargo operations were suspended from about 1330 local time (0800 GMT) and the suspension could continue to Wednesday afternoon or evening, he added.
Krishnapatnam port, which handles around 15 million tonnes of cargo a year including coal, fertilisers and agricultural products, also halted cargo operations, a port official said.
Chennai Petroleum Corp Limited's two refineries in the city, which have combined capacity of about 230,000 barrels per day (bpd), were operating normally, its managing director A. S. Basu, told Reuters
The north Indian Ocean usually sees about five cyclones a year, about 5-6 percent of all cyclones, with October-November and May-June seeing the most severe ones.
Chennai handled just over 27 million tonnes of traffic in April-September, according to the Shipping ministry.
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