Essar Bulk Terminal (EBTL), a unit of Essar Ports, has entered an agreement with the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) to expand its captive jetty at the Hazira port terminal in India by 1,100m.
The proposed expansion is scheduled to be completed by March and will require an investment of around Rs5.5bn ($85m). It is expected to increase the EBTL-operated terminal’s current cargo handling capacity by 20t annually, reported PTI.
The expansion will also help to address the increased demand from the terminal’s anchor customer Essar Steel and its third-party cargo business.
Essar Ports managing director Rajiv Agarwal said: “Our Hazira Port Terminal has delivered record output on account of highly efficient operations.
“The expansion of the jetty by 1,100m will further boost the cargo handling capability of the facility.”
The Hazira terminal handled 1.86 million tonnes of cargo last month, and is projected to handle more than 25 million tonnes of cargo next year as the production rate of Essar Steel is expected to increase.
Hazira port terminal is an all-weather, deep-water terminal, located in the Gulf of Khambatt in Gujarat, India.
The terminal features a depth of 14m and is currently capable of accommodating capesize vessels.
Additionally, Hazira port terminal is integrated with Essar’s Hazira Complex, which includes a ten million tonne steel plant, as well as power plants and other manufacturing facilities.
