APSEZ emerges highest bidder for two dry bulk berths at Paradip port

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), India’s largest integrated transport operator, has emerged as the highest bidder and received the Letter of Award (LoA) for developing and operating two dry bulk berths at Paradip Port in Odisha.

The project, to be developed under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, will be awarded under a 30-year concession. The addition of 18 million metric tonnes (MMT) of capacity will take APSEZ’s total cargo-handling portfolio to 671 MMTPA, supporting its target of reaching 1 billion tonnes of cargo throughput by 2030.

Mechanised cargo handling

Under the concession, APSEZ will develop the CQ-I and CQ-II berths with mechanised cargo-handling systems, deep-draft berths, and large-scale storage infrastructure.

“The Paradip concession will strengthen APSEZ’s presence on the East Coast and expand our access to one of India's most important industrial and mineral-rich hinterlands. With Paradip, APSEZ's network grows to 16 ports and terminals across India's 11,000-km coastline, strengthening our ability to deliver integrated port, logistics and marine solutions through the country's most comprehensive transport infrastructure platform,” said Ashwani Gupta, whole-time director and CEO, APSEZ.

Boost to eastern India

Located in a mineral-rich hinterland and surrounded by major steel plants, Paradip is India’s second-largest major port and an important gateway for bulk cargo.

The new terminal will strengthen APSEZ’s ability to handle rising volumes of coal, limestone and other dry bulk commodities, while expanding its reach across key industrial and manufacturing clusters in eastern and central India.

The capacity addition comes amid high utilisation levels at ports along India’s East Coast and rising cargo demand. Growing steel production in the hinterland, along with the government’s push to increase domestic coal usage, is expected to support demand for additional port capacity and help ease regional bottlenecks.

Integrated logistics network

APSEZ is part of the Adani Group and operates an integrated transport and logistics network spanning cargo origination through its international freight network, port handling, rail transportation, multimodal logistics parks, warehousing and road transportation to customer facilities.

The Paradip project will further strengthen the company’s integrated port and logistics network along India’s eastern coastline.