Essar Ports to Develop ₹2,276 Crore Tuna Tekra Multipurpose Cargo Terminal at Kandla

Kandla: Essar Ports Limited has received the Letter of Award (LoA) from Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) for developing a multipurpose cargo terminal at Tuna Tekra, Kandla, Gujarat. The project will be implemented on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Essar Ports emerged as the highest bidder in a global competitive bidding process, according to a press release.

With a total estimated project cost of ₹2,276.06 crore, the project involves an investment of ₹1,552.57 crore by Essar Ports and ₹723.49 crore by DPA.

The proposed terminal will have an annual cargo-handling capacity of 18.33 million tonnes and comprise four berths, each measuring 300 metres, with a total berth length of 1,200 metres. The facility is designed to accommodate Capesize vessels of up to 170,000 deadweight tonnes (DWT), with a draft of up to 18 metres.

As part of the project, DPA will provide common-user infrastructure, including dredging of the access channel, berth pockets and turning circles, as well as a common approach road. The terminal will be developed and operated in accordance with applicable environmental requirements and the Green Port Policy.

Commenting on the development, Ashish Rajgarhia, CEO of Essar Ports, said, “The Tuna-Tekra project marks a defining moment for Essar Ports as we embark on a new journey to rebuild and expand our ports business. With an investment of approximately ₹2,000 crore, this project will serve as the foundation for our next phase of growth.”

The additional cargo-handling infrastructure is expected to ease pressure on existing dry-cargo berths, improve operational efficiency and strengthen multimodal connectivity. The ability to accommodate larger vessels is also expected to support more efficient shipping and enhance logistics competitiveness. DeshGujarat