Essar Vizag Terminal Ltd (EVTL) on Monday said that it was taking a week-long shutdown ahead of the installation and commissioning of an 8,000 TPH (tonnes per hour) ship-loader.

Installation of the ship-loader forms part of the company’s Rs 830-crore expansion plan to upgrade the iron ore handling capacity of the Vizag terminal (outer harbour) from 12.5 mtpa to 23 mtpa, according to a press release.

During the shutdown (December 13-19), other cargo-handling equipment, including a new reclaimer and a mechanical conveyor system, will also be commissioned.

Following these developments, EVTL expects to achieve a cargo handling rate of 120,000 TPD (tonnes per day), which will translate to a shorter turnaround time and competitive freight costs for exporters on the east coast.

CH. Satyanand, CEO, said: “The shutdown is a planned move and is being undertaken without any disruption to exporters’ shipments. Given that we are replacing a 41-year old ship-loader with this new one, the short turnaround time is quite remarkable.”

Essar Vizag Terminal took over the Vizag port expansion project in May 2015 on a design-build-finance-operate-transfer (DBFOT) basis for a period of 30 years. Since then, the company has ramped up the iron ore loading capacity of the terminal from 25,000 TPD (tonnes per day) to 70,000 TPD.

After the completion of the modernisation project, not only will the loading capacity increase to 120,000 TPD, but the facility will also be able to berth vessels up to 200,000 DWT, with a draft of 18 metres, in the outer harbour, the release added.

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