Essar Ports (EPL) has registered all-round growth in the quarter ended 30 September 2016. Total cargo handling has grown 35% to 18.27 million tonnes, compared to 13.55 million tonnes in the same period last year. Third-party cargo handling has risen by 106%--to 1.03 million tonnes compared to 0.5 million tonnes. Over the quarter, the various terminals of the company handled 209 ships as against 179 ships in the corresponding period last year. The robust performance in the quarter has been driven by significant operational improvements and better cargo support from anchor customers.
Commenting on the performance, Rajiv Agarwal, Managing Director, Essar Ports, said, “Our performance is a reflection of the efficient operations at all our ports and faster vessel turnaround times. We are gradually enhancing our capacity utilization, which is backed by the improved operational performance of our anchor customers. This year, our assets are not only demonstrating enhanced operational parameters, like the berthing of bigger ships, but also showing their technical prowess by undertaking project execution that is synchronised with our operations.”
Strong half-yearly numbers
The Company’s performance for H1 FY17 also reflects consistent operational improvements. The total cargo handled for H1 FY17 is up by 33% at 35.37 million tonnes, compared to 26.54 million tonnes in H1 FY16. The third-party cargo handling is up by 230% at 1.98 million tonnes, compared to 0.6 million tonnes in the corresponding period last year.
