APSEZ wins 30-year concession for two dry bulk berths at Paradip
APSEZ will handle coal, limestone and other dry bulk cargo, expanding its reach across industrial and manufacturing clusters in eastern and central India.
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) has received the Letter of Award (LoA) to develop and operate two dry bulk berths at Paradip Port in Odisha. The project will add 18 million metric tonnes (MMT) of capacity to APSEZ’s domestic portfolio, taking it to 671 MMT.
The company emerged as the highest bidder for the CQ-I and CQ-II berths through a competitive bidding process. The project has a 30-year concession and will be operated on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis.
APSEZ will develop the two berths with mechanised cargo handling systems, deep-draft berths and large-scale storage infrastructure. The project will be carried out under the Public-Private Partnership model.
The company said the new terminal will strengthen its presence on the East Coast and improve its access to the industrial and mineral-rich hinterland of eastern and central India.
Paradip is located in a mineral-rich hinterland with major steel plants and is described in the release as India’s second-largest major port and a key bulk cargo gateway. The new terminal will increase APSEZ’s capacity to handle coal, limestone and other dry bulk commodities.
The company said the addition comes amid high utilisation at ports on India’s East Coast and growing cargo demand. It added that steel expansions in the hinterland and the government’s push for domestic coal are supporting the project.
With the Paradip addition, APSEZ said its network will grow to 16 ports and terminals across India’s 11,000-km coastline. The company is targeting 1 billion tonnes of cargo throughput by 2030.
