The dock is mainly handles fully loaded Handy size (not Handymax)–carriers of 28,000–40,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT)–vessels.

The dock operates floating crane facilities at the deep drafted anchorages located at Sagar and sandheads to accommodate large vessels for discharging bulk cargoes, liquid products are discharged in the Sandheads through Ship-to-ship cargo transfer.

[15][18] It is situated on alluvial plain, mainly formed from silt carried by the Hooghly and Haldi rivers.

[19] The area surrounding the dock falls under Seismic Zone III indicating a moderate risk of earthquakes.

The maximum depth is up to 12.5 metres (41 ft) and the soil in the dock entrance basin is mainly composed of silt.

Port of Kolkata had been facing navigability problems for long due to silting and submerged sandbar, and an alternative route was needed for shipping, which led the Government of West Bengal to consider the possibility of establishing a subsidiary dock of Kolkata Dock System.

In the 1950s, the search was on for a suitable location for a dock near the estuary of the Hooghly River, which would not pose navigational problems and would provide sufficient draft for larger ships.

[22] In 1959, The Haldia Project Report was prepared by Rendell Palmer Triton (RPT), a UK-based port consultant.

[23] It was expected that with dredging and river training works, the navigability would increase and by 1985, 80,000 DWT ships would be able to come to Haldia.

[26] Despite various efforts by the Government of West Bengal, the Geonkhali project was not implemented but Haldia on the right bank of the river was alternatively selected as the subsidiary port of Kolkata.

[22] Due to its proximity to the Bay of Bengal, Haldia was designed in the early 1960s to accommodate large ships.

The contract involved the dredging of 1.5 million cubic meters of silt in front of the oil jetty, at approaches to the lock-gate and the dock.

The proposed estimate was that dredging 76 million cubic meters of sediment would provide 12.2 metres (40 ft) of navigability for 320 days a year, and dredging 30 million cubic meters of sediment would provide 10.67 m of navigability throughout the year.

[30] The import of crude oil through the port began in the 1960s, leading Haldia to develop into the first petrochemical hub of West Bengal and the entire eastern India in the following decades.

Thus, long before the economic liberalisation was adopted by the Government of India in the early 1990s, the Haldia dock and industrial area became an oasis for private entrepreneurs and foreign capital.

The Eden channel was fully opened in 2016,[42] which is deeper than Lower Auckland; depth of its shallow part is 6.2–6.9 metres (20–23 ft) at zero tide.

[43][44][45][46] Factors such as navigable crisis in the channel, dependence on tides and lockgate for shipping led to a rapid decline in cargo volume at Haldia Dock since 2009.

[47] It is capable of discharging cargo from 10-12 thousand DWT barges/mini bulk carriers; the annual capacity is 4 million metric tons.

[47] A decision was taken to shift the liquid cargo unloading facility operated within the dock to the river bank.

[50][51] Liquid cargos at Haldia dock are primarily handling by three oil jetties on the west bank of the Hooghly River, which have a draft of 12.5 metres (41 ft).

As per construction design and infrastructure, Outer Terminal-II is capable of handling tankers of maximum size of 40,000 DWT.

Cargoes transported by barges and mini bulk carriers (MBC) from Sandheads and Sagar anchorages are unloaded at this terminal, which is transloading from larger vessels to barges and mini bulk carriers (MBC) by floating crane facilities.

The terminal's jetty has a minimum water depth of 8 metres (26 ft), which can easily handle mini bulk ships.

There is a 1.30 km long road network of 10.5 m width carriageway inside the boundary wall of the terminal to ensure smooth movement of vehicles for transportation of cargoes from storage yard.

[64] The port's impounded dock is enclosed by lock-gate, and mainly bulk cargos and containers are handle here.

Berths are equipped to transport edible oil, carbon black feed stock (CBFS), phosphoric acid and various non-dangerous liquid cargoes.

[60] The agency appointed by the Kolkata Port Trust executes the deep sea unloading operations.

Sandheads anchorage has a water depth of 40–50 metres (130–160 ft), capable of anchoring the world's largest ships; On the other hand, the Sagar anchorage has a water depth of 9–10 metres (30–33 ft), where mainly small capesize ships anchor.

[84][85] Haldia Dock Complex has its own railway system to cater the traffic demand for warehouses and sidings.

[86] Through the rail link, the cargoes are mainly transported to the manufacturing units of the port's customers like Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and NTPC etc.