Essar Ports Wins ₹2,276 Cr Tuna Tekra Terminal Deal

Essar Ports Limited has secured a Letter of Award (LOA) from the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) to construct and operate a state-of-the-art multipurpose cargo terminal at Tuna Tekra, Kandla, Gujarat. Awarded on a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) basis under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, Essar Ports emerged as the highest bidder in a global competitive tender, securing a 30-year concession. The strategic infrastructure project carries an estimated capital expenditure of ₹2,276.06 crore ($240.32 million), comprising an investment exceeding ₹1,552.57 crore ($163.93 million) by Essar Ports and ₹723.49 crore ($76.39 million) by DPA. Designed to deliver an annual cargo-handling capacity of 18.33 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), the complex will feature four 300-meter berths totaling an aggregate quay length of 1,200 meters. Engineered to accommodate large Cape-size vessels of up to 170,000 deadweight tonnes (DWT), the terminal will feature a draft capability of up to 18 meters. Under the PPP arrangement, DPA will provide essential shared infrastructure, including channel dredging, berth pocket creation, turning circles, and dedicated common approach roads. The expansion will significantly alleviate congestion across existing dry-cargo facilities along India's western coastline, boost port turnaround efficiency, and enhance multimodal freight connectivity. Essar Ports CEO Ashish Rajgarhia highlighted the terminal—whose foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—as a major milestone in expanding the group's port portfolio, which currently encompasses ~60 MTPA of operational capacity across India, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom. ADANIPORTS