Essar to invest Rs 750 cr more in Hazira terminal

This takes Essar Group's total investment in Hazira port to Rs 3,200 cr

The Ruias of the Essar Group have announced an additional investment of Rs 750 crore in Essar Bulk Terminal's expansion in Hazira, Gujarat which, along with the existing investment of Rs 2,450 crore, will take the total investment in Hazira port to Rs 3,200 crore.

In a statement, the company said today the 550-metre berth of terminal will be expanded by a further 1,100 metres to accommodate the steady growth in cargo throughput at the port. With the expansion, the capacity of the Hazira terminal will increase from the existing 30 million metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 50 MTPA.

Post completion of expansion, the port will have capability of simultaneously handling seven vessels at any point of time. 

In the quarter ending June this year, traffic at the port increased by 80% to 4.4 million metric tonnes (MT), as against 2.4 MT in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The cargo growth is backed by a ramp-up in operations by Essar Steel’s 10-million tonne plant in Hazira. The total port traffic is expected to reach 24 MT in FY17, as against 12.7 MT in fiscal16. 

The company has already invested in creating an all-weather mechanised deep draft port, which is capable of handling Capesize vessels. The port has a draft of 14 metres, which allows direct berthing of the largest of bulk cargo carriers. The company has dredged an 8.8-km channel on the Tapi river. Approximately, 80 million cubic metres has been dredged until date, making it one of the largest dredging activities in the country.