Essar Ports' Salaya Terminal registers 160% cargo growth in June quarter

Essar Ports invested Rs 11,000 crore in developing terminals and is currently operating four terminals

Essar Ports’ Essar Bulk Terminal Salaya Ltd (EBTSL) on Wednesday posted 160 per cent growth in its cargo throughput for the Q1FY20 which ended on June 30, 2019. As against 0.5 million tonnes (MT) in Q1FY19, EBTSL clocked a cargo throughput of 1.3 MT in Q1FY20. The firm operates the deepest draft terminal in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region.

The company stated that this was the best throughput since the terminal's commissioning in 2018.

With 1,200 MW Essar Power plant resuming operations, EBTSL is hopeful of a significant boost to its topline and cargo throughput in the subsequent quarters this year, the company stated. The integrated Salaya power plant requires roughly four million metric tonnes of coal every year.

An all-weather terminal, the EBTSL has been designed to berth capsize vessels with a globally benchmarked vessel turnaround time, attracting dry bulk cargo in the Saurashtra region. The terminal is capable of handling commodities like coal, bauxite, limestone, fertiliser, etc and has the flexibility to import and export cargo.

Essar Ports, which invested Rs 11,000 crore in developing terminals, currently operates four terminals with a combined capacity of 110 MTPA, that is roughly 5 per cent of India’s port capacity. Having clocked a throughput of 40 MT of cargo in FY19, Essar Ports is expecting to handle over 60 MT of cargo in the current financial year.

Meanwhile, the company is also focussed on ramping up capacity given the government’s target of developing 3,130 MT of port capacity in the country by 2020. Outside India, Essar’s port assets include a liquid terminal in the UK and a coal terminal which is in development stage at Mozambique’s Beira port.