VISAKHAPATNAM: Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, is scheduled to inaugurate the Ore Handling Complex (OHC) by the Essar Vizag Terminal Ltd (EVTL) on Friday, an EVTL press release said on Thursday. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is also expected at the inauguration, sources in Essar Vizag Terminal said.The OHC is stated to be India’s largest, with an installed capacity of 24 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). It cost Rs. 830 crore, the release said.“With its advanced cargo handling equipment, the iron ore handling complex will have the fastest vessel turnaround time of 120,000 tonnes per day for iron ore among Indian ports. Following the project completion, the cargo loading capacity of the facility has been upgraded to 24 mtpa. The iron ore handling complex, which has a berth length of 325 metres, can now berth Super Capesize vessels up to 200,000 dwt, with a depth of 20 metres, in the outer harbour of Vizag Port,” it said.EVTL took over the project in 2015 on a Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) basis for a period of 30 years from Visakhapatnam Port Trust. The iron ore handling complex is an all-weather, deep draft facility that is equipped to serve the rapidly growing markets of South-East Asia, including China, Japan, and Korea. It has dedicated rail connectivity for cargo evacuation from the states of Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand “The project will help exporters on the east coast benefit from shorter turnaround times and reduced freight costs. The facility will support both export and coastal traffic, furthering the vision of the Sagarmala initiative,” the release quoted Rajiv Agarwal, managing director, Essar Ports Ltd, as saying.“This was a unique project for the nation–up-grading a 42-year-old infrastructure unit to the latest state-of-art mechanised & automated technology by successfully completing without any disruption in the day-to-day operations of the iron ore handling complex,” said Ch Satyanand, CEO, Essar Vizag Terminals Ltd.

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