Essar Ports, which operates port terminals on the east and west coasts of India, has recorded a 25 per cent growth in cargo traffic for the financial year 2016-17.

Consolidated cargo handling across the company’s five operational ports at Hazira, Vadinar and Salaya (all in Gujarat), Paradip (Odisha) and Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) rose to 72.86 million tonnes (mt) in FY17 compared with 58.27 mt in the previous fiscal. Third-party traffic grew 60 per cent, Rajiv Agrawal, CEO and MD, said in a statement today.

While bulk and unit cargo grew 52 per cent to 30.39 mt (19.97 mt), liquid cargo grew 11 per cent to 42.47 mt (38.30 mt).

The anchor customer of Essar Ports’ dry bulk terminals at Hazira, Paradip and Visakhapatnam is Essar Steel.

The 30-mt Hazira bulk terminal, is being expanded to 50 mt capacity, while the 16-mt terminal at Visakhapatnam is being expanded to 32 mt capacity.

Essar Ports’s current capacity of 140 mtpa is being expanded to 194 mtpa.