Essar Ports’ Essar Vizag Terminals Limited (EVTL) took over the project of modernising Vishakhapatnam Port Trust’s (VPT’s) Iron Ore Handling Complex (OHC) in May 2015 on a Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) basis for a period of 30 years. Ever since taking over the project, Essar Ports has strived to diversify its customer profile, acquiring customers, like JSW, NMDC and MMTC, and registering substantial third-party cargo growth.

The 24 MTPA iron ore complex, which is today India’s largest, is an all-weather, deep draft facility that is equipped to serve the rapidly growing markets of South-East Asia, including China, Japan, and Korea. It has dedicated rail connectivity with mining sources in Bacheli and Kirandul, which gives it an edge in serving the country’s western sector. It is also integrated with the Essar Steel’s pellet plant in Vizag through a fully mechanised conveying facility, with a shipping conveyor system.

EVTL has made incremental investments in ramping up capacity and installing the latest cargo handling equipment, such as:

• A 27 tips/hour Twin-tippler
• A 30 tips/hour Rotary Tippler
• Two 2,700 TPH (tonnes per hour) stackers
• Two 4,000 TPH Reclaimers, and
• A 8,000 TPH Ship-Loader

The Company has also strengthened the entire 9.5-km conveyor network and upgraded to PLC automisation, which will enable record cargo handling performance.

To honour its commitment to reduce pollution and preserve the environment of Visakhapatnam, EVTL has covered with cladding all the open conveyors and their adjacent junction-houses that pass through the old town. Towards this end, it has installed the revolutionary cold-fog system at each junction-house. An increased focus on global best practices in mechanisation and sustainable environment protection has reduced emissions and spillage rate to near zero levels, thus improving the carbon footprint of the port significantly.