APSEZ expands east India operations with new 18 MMT Paradip dry bulk berth win

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) has emerged as the highest bidder and received the Letter of Award (LoA) for the development and operation of two dry bulk berths at Paradip Port in Odisha.

The project, which will add 18 million metric tonnes (MMT) of mechanised dry bulk capacity, will take APSEZ’s total portfolio from 653 MMT to 671 MMT. The company said the addition will support its target of achieving 1 billion tonnes of cargo throughput by 2030.

Under the 30-year concession, the project will be developed under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. APSEZ will develop the CQ-I and CQ-II berths with mechanised cargo handling systems, deep-draft berths and large-scale storage infrastructure.

Ashwani Gupta, Whole-time Director and CEO, APSEZ, said the Paradip concession will strengthen the company’s presence on the East Coast and expand its access to one of India’s key industrial and mineral-rich hinterlands.

Located near major steel plants, Paradip is India’s second-largest major port and an important bulk cargo gateway on the eastern seaboard. The new terminal is expected to strengthen APSEZ’s ability to handle growing volumes of coal, limestone and other dry bulk commodities.

The Paradip project will complement APSEZ’s existing 140 MMT capacity across Haldia, Dhamra, Gopalpur and Gangavaram, while expanding its access to industrial and manufacturing clusters across eastern and central India.

APSEZ said the capacity addition comes amid high utilisation across East Coast ports and rising cargo demand, supported by steel-sector expansion and the government’s push for domestic coal. The project is expected to help address regional capacity constraints and support industrial growth.

With the Paradip addition, APSEZ’s network will expand to 16 ports and terminals across India’s 11,000-km coastline. The company also operates international ports in Australia, Colombo, Israel and Tanzania, along with an integrated logistics network comprising multimodal logistics parks, warehouses, marine assets and road transportation.

APSEZ currently has a cargo handling capacity of 653 million tonnes per annum and handles approximately 27% of India’s total port volumes. The company has set a target of reaching 1 billion tonnes of cargo throughput by 2030.