Essar Ports eyes 2-fold spike in traffic handling by 2015

The Ruias-led Essar Ports is targeting to more than double its cargo handling to 125 million tonne by 2015, a top executive said today.

"We expect to close FY12 with 46 million tonne traffic handling and plan to raise that to 125 million tonne by 2015," Essar Ports Managing Director and Chief Executive Rajiv Agarwal told reporters on sidelines of a shipping summit here.

Around 5% of the 46 million tonne will be non- captive traffic, or business emerging from outside the Essar Group companies, he said, adding by 2015, the port is targeting it to take the external business to 25%.

The company, operating two ports at Hazira and Vadinar in Gujarat, plans to commission the first phase of its new facility at Paradip in Orissa by next March, Agarwal said.

It is awaiting a nod from the State Forest Department for the second berth, which will be handling coal, he said, adding a go-ahead from the Environment Department is in place.

Asked about the capacity of the two terminals at Paradip, Agarwal said, "the first one is about 16 million tonne and the second is 50 million tonne."