The Calcutta Port Trust on Tuesday asked 19 vessels that had anchored at Sandheads in the Bay of Bengal to proceed into deep sea to avoid the path of Cyclone Amphan.

Vessels that were docked at Calcutta and Haldia have been secured with additional moorings so that they don’t “roll” when the cyclone strikes and capsize.

At least 15 merchant vessels in Calcutta and 11 in Haldia were secured by the evening. Even towering cranes that are used to load/unload goods have been secured to prevent them from snapping when the cyclone strikes.

Emergency control rooms have been set up at Sagar Island and at Haldia for round-the-clock monitoring.

Around the time the vessels were asked to move into the deep sea, railway officials got the wheels of several trains in the sheds at Howrah and

Shalimar chained to the tracks to prevent them from rolling because of high-velocity winds.

The railways has kept an emergency team ready at the Howrah and Shalimar sheds.

“The Haldia dock was shut down from 10pm on Tuesday and operations will resume on Thursday after assessment. The Calcutta port will be shut down from Wednesday morning,” a port trust official said.

At Budge Budge and Haldia, oil jetties were cleared of ships and officials were asked to take ensure necessary steps in the wake of the cyclone.