Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)/Mumbai[India], Dec.11 (ANI): Essar Vizag Terminal Ltd (EVTL) today said that it was taking a week-long shutdown ahead of the installation and commissioning of an 8,000 TPH (tonnes per hour) Ship Loader that forms a part of the Company's Rs 830-crore expansion plan to upgrade the iron ore handling capacity of the Vizag Terminal (outer harbour) from 12.5 MTPA to 23 MTPA.

During the shutdown (13 December 2017 - 19 December 2017), other cargo handling equipment, including a new reclaimer and a mechanical conveyor system, will also be commissioned. Following these developments, EVTL expects to achieve a cargo handling rate of 120,000 TPD (tonnes per day), which will translate to shorter turnaround times and competitive freight costs for exporters on the east coast.

C H Satyanand, CEO, EVTL, said: "The shutdown is a planned move and is being undertaken without any disruption to exporters' shipments. Given that we are replacing a 41-year old ship loader with this new one, the short turnaround time is quite remarkable."

Essar Vizag Terminals Limited (EVTL) took over the Vizag Port expansion project in May 2015 on a Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) basis for a period of 30 years. Since then, the company has ramped up the iron ore loading capacity of the terminal from 25,000 TPD (tonnes per day) to 70,000 TPD. After the completion of the upgradation-cum-modernisation project, not only will the loading capacity increase to 120,000 TPD, but the facility will also be able to berth vessels up to 200,000 DWT, with a draft of 18 metres, on the outer harbour.

Essar Ports specialises in development and operations of ports and terminals for handling liquid, dry bulk, break bulk and general cargo. It is one of the largest private sector port companies in India in terms of capacity and throughput.

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 the port terminals in India is 82 MTPA, which is expected to increase to 110 MTPA in 2017-18. (ANI)


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