Adani Ports signs concession agreement for multipurpose terminal at Deendayal Port

GANDHIDHAM : Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), India’s biggest private port operator, has signed a concession agreement with state-owned Deendayal Port Authority to equip and run a 5.7 million tonne (mt) capacity multipurpose terminal for handling clean cargo, including containers, at the port located in Gujarat’s Kandla.

The company won the 30-year contract in a tender by placing the highest royalty of Rs 200 a ton. The agreement was signed on September 10.

Adani Ports had in July received the letter of Intent for the development, operation and maintenance of the berth, which will be developed under the design, build, finance, operate, and transfer (DBFOT) model, the company said in a press release on September 11. The berth is likely to be commissioned in 2026-27.

“Berth No. 13 will diversify our presence at Deendayal Port. We will now handle multipurpose clean cargo at the port, in addition to dry bulk cargo that we already handle,” Ashwani Gupta, whole-time director and CEO, APSEZ, said. The berth will consolidate the company’s position on the western coast and enhance its ability to service customers in Gujarat and north India.

Adani Ports has incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary, DPA Container and Clean Cargo Terminal Ltd which will carry out operations at the berth.

The contract will strengthen Adani Ports presence at the Deendayal Port, formerly Kandla Port, India’s second biggest state-owned port by volumes handled, where it runs a dry bulk cargo terminal at Tuna Tekra, a satellite facility since 2015.

The optimal capacity of the facility will be 5.7 mt comprising 4.2 mt of dry bulk (including break bulk), clean cargo and 0.10 million twenty-foot equivalent units or TEU’s.

The multipurpose terminal is expected to handle machinery (project cargo), Ro-Ro cargo, sugar, salt, wooden logs, silica sand and containers.

Earlier this week, Adani Ports announced it would acquire an 80 percent stake in global offshore support vessel operator Astro Offshore for $185 million in an all-cash deal.

Adani Ports is the largest port developer and operator in India with seven strategically located ports and terminals on the west coast and eight on the east coast.

Adani Logistics Ltd, a wholly owned unit of APSEZ, said it has added the inland container depot  at Malur near Bengaluru to its network.