Overall cargo handling by Essar Ports up 11 per cent from year-ago quarter

Its overall cargo handling amounted to 9.16 MT across its Hazira, Vishakapatnam, Salaya and Paradip port terminals for the quarter ended December 31, 2017.

Substantial growth in iron ore, coal, limestone and finished steel transportation with third party, which accounted for 16% share in the overall cargo, was largely responsible for the growth.

For the nine months ended December 31, 2017, the company registered a 16% growth overall cargo at 26.5 MT compared to the same period last year while third party cargo handling rose by 36% to 4.26 MT in the same period last year.

Rajiv Agarwal, CEO-EPL, said: “We expect to continually improve our operational performance with faster turnaround times at our terminals through our sustained investment in state-of-the-art technology. The strategic location, deep drafts and superior cargo handling capabilities of these facilities will help Essar Ports further the national goal of port-led development and overall reduction in logistics cost.”

The company has recently commissioned a 20 MT bulk terminal in Salaya, Gujarat and will soon complete expansion of Vizag Terminal, taking its annual handling capacity to 24 MT, thus taking the cumulative cargo handling capacity to 90 MT by end of FY18, according to a release.

The Salaya terminal has been designed to berth Capesize vessels with a vessel turnaround time of less than two days, thus offering a competitive advantage to the local industry, the company said.

The Essar Vizag Terminal Limited (EVTL) recently commissioned an 8,000 TPH (tonnes per hour) Ship Loader, which has increased its cargo handling rate from 70,000 TPD (tonnes per day) to 120,000 TPD, and is expected to significantly increase revenues.

The increased cargo handling at EVTL will also translate to shorter turnaround times and competitive freight costs for exporters on the east coast, according to the company.

Following the commissioning of the expansion project, the facility will also be able to berth vessels up to 200,000 DWT, with a depth of 18 metres, on the outer harbour of Vizag Port.

Essar Ports specialises in development and operations of ports and terminals for handling liquid, dry bulk, break bulk and general cargo. It has four operational terminals in India—one each in Hazira and Salaya (both in Gujarat) on the west coast, and in Visakhapatnam and Paradip on the east coast.

The current operational capacity of Essar's port terminals in India is 82 MTPA, which is expected to increase to 110 MTPA.

Image: EPL/Facebook