Iron Ore and Coal Push Essar Ports’ Volumes Up

India’s port and terminal operator Essar Ports Limited (EPL) saw an 11% surge in overall cargo volumes in Q3 FY18.

EPL handled 9.16 million tons (MT) across its Hazira, Vishakapatnam, Salaya and Paradip port terminals for the quarter ended December 31, 2017, up from 8.26 MT recorded in the corresponding period a year ago.

As explained, higher iron ore and coal transportation was the main contributor to cargo growth.

For the nine months ended December 31, 2017, the company registered a 16% growth overall cargo at 26.5 MT versus the same period of FY2017.

“We expect to continually improve our operational performance with faster turnaround times at our terminals through our sustained investment in … technology,” Rajiv Agarwal, CEO of EPL, said.

The company recently commissioned a 20 MT bulk terminal in Salaya and will soon complete expansion of Vizag Terminal, taking its annual handling capacity to 24 MT.

The Salaya terminal has been designed to berth Capesize vessels with a vessel turnaround time of fewer than two days.

The Essar Vizag Terminal Limited (EVTL) recently commissioned an 8,000 tons per hour (TPH) ship loader, which has increased its cargo handling rate from 70,000 to 120,000 tons per day (TPD). 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 meters, on the outer harbor of Vizag Port.

ESL said it is set to achieve the cumulative cargo handling capacity of 90 MT by the end of FY18.