Paradip Port Authority: Beyond 150+ MMT—From Volume Leadership to Value Creation for a Smart, Green, Cape-Ready Gateway

By P L Haranadh, Chairman, Paradip Port Authority

Paradip Port Authority (PPA) has emerged as India’s top cargo-handling major port, crossing the 150-million-tonne mark and securing leadership for a second consecutive year. The feat reflects a multi-year playbook of capacity creation, productivity discipline, and tight alignment with India’s industrial and logistics corridors—especially the mineral and power belts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand.

Consistent Outperformance on the Core Metrics that Matter

Over the past three years, PPA has grown cargo volumes at roughly 9% CAGR—outpacing the major-port average. It operates at the frontier of berth productivity (≈34,300 MT/ship-day versus a national average near 18,300), leads in rake handling, and accounts for nearly one-third of coastal cargo among major ports. Together, these fundamentals—volume growth, berth output, evacuation muscle, and coastal dominance—explain how PPA broke into the “150+ MMT club” and stayed on top.

A Target North of 160 MMT—and a Commercial Model Built for the Trade

For FY 2025–26, PPA is aiming beyond 160 MMT. To de-risk that ambition, it has widened coastal coal flows westward toward Maharashtra and Gujarat, convened stakeholder meets to resolve ground-level frictions, and rolled out a pro-trade tariff stance. Notably, PPA has frozen handling tariffs through 2026, structured slab-based incentives for incremental volumes, and even rewards berth performance—ensuring shippers and handling agents benefit directly from higher efficiency and throughput.

Digital First: From Transactions at Scale to AI in the Yard

PPA’s Ease-of-Doing-Business (EoDB) agenda is anchored in enterprise-grade digital systems. It runs Enterprise Business System (EBS), transacts at national-leading scale on the National Logistics Portal (NLP-Marine), and is piloting an AI-driven yard and storage optimizer—first among India’s major ports. A new signal station with an indigenously developed Vessel Traffic Management & Information System (VTMIS) is nearing completion, strengthening navigational safety and berth planning in one move.

The Smart Port Analytics & Reporting Hub (SPARSh) pilot at Paradip Port Authority has been completed, establishing a centralized data hub and strategic command center that replaces scattered, Excel-based reporting with a unified, real-time decision layer. The pilot integrated live operational feeds—IoT, NLP-Marine, ICEGATE, POS, ULIP, FOIS—into flexible, interactive dashboards tailored for terminal operators, marine/traffic, evacuation planning, and leadership. With multi-level analytics, nested charts, and AI models, SPARSh now provides predictive insights and automated anomaly detection across berth productivity, yard congestion, vessel turnaround, and rake planning, enabling faster, evidence-based interventions.

Container Pivot: Building a Competitive East-Coast Gateway

Container throughput surged 111% year-on-year from a small base—evidence of a deliberate diversification pivot. The 5-MTPA clean cargo & container terminal (PPP) is raising reliability, while PPA’s vessel-related charges for container ships are among the lowest on the coast—with discounts up to 75%. Free container scanning accelerates clearance; CONCOR’s operational Multimodal Logistics Park integrates rail-road-port flows; land has been earmarked for more CFS facilities; and a direct Colombo–Paradip service by a global liner (MSC) has begun to reshape routing on the east coast. Next up: a new container berth designed for ~200,000 TEUs under PPP, now in advanced tender stages.

Infrastructure Flywheel: Cape-Size, Mechanization, and Multimodal

Paradip Port is implementing a big project of deepening of its inner harbour to 18.5 mtr depths and development of Western Dock to create 25-MTPA capacity. This Western Dock will enable handling of fully laden Cape vessels—unlocking economies of scale and lowering landed logistics costs. Further port modernisation projects include mechanisation of it four semi-mechanized berths and four new berths are planned to lift throughput and reliability.

On the land side, a 2.4-km flyover-cum-road will decongest the Atharbanki ROB corridor; PPA has also backed the 8-laning of NH-53 (Paradip–Chandikhol) and is expanding rail sidings to support >100 rakes/day. The cumulative effect: lower dwell and turnaround times, easier cargo switching, and a platform ready for both bulk and container growth.

Paradip as a Green Hydrogen Hub: 4-MTPA Export Terminal & Future Bunkering

As part of National Gren Hydrogen Mission, the Port is set to develop Paradip as a Green Hydrogen Hub. The port is developing a dedicated 4 million tonnes per annum green hydrogen/ammonia export terminal along with ancillary facilities for the nearby to be set up green hydrogen/ammonia plants. During Indian Maritime Week 2025, MoUs exceeding ₹1 lakh crore are slated for signing with prospective developers of green hydrogen and ammonia plants in the port’s vicinity. This terminal will not only boost India’s green fuel exports to global markets in Southeast Asia and Europe but also pave the way for future green bunkering capabilities for vessels calling at Paradip.

Green Port, Smart Port: A Clear ESG Roadmap

PPA’s ESG program is practical and time-bound. On air quality and dust control, it targets 100% mechanized dry-bulk handling by 2030 (≈80% today), aided by enclosed conveyors and covered handling zones. On energy, a 10-MW solar plant is targeted by March 2026, with renewables expected to supply ~60% of power thereafter; the balance will be sourced via open access green power in Odisha. Marine operations are shifting under the Green Tug Transition Program; shore-to-ship power—already available for tugs and smaller craft—is being extended to cargo berths to cut hot-berth emissions. Zero-liquid-discharge STPs and integrated solid-waste systems round out the environmental stack.

Since the 1999 super-cyclone, Paradip Port has pursued an ambitious afforestation drive. In the past four years alone, nearly 4 lakh trees have been planted, with a target of one million by 2026. Guided by horticulture experts, the effort also greens cargo-handling zones. Together, these measures are transforming the port into a thriving urban forest and reaffirming its strong commitment to environmental stewardship.

Coordination that Converts Plans into Throughput

Behind the metrics is a tight web of coordination—terminal operators, shipping lines, cargo aggregators, Indian Railways, Customs, and state/central agencies—reinforced by digital data sharing and the PM Gati Shakti framework. Routine stakeholder consultations and synchronized planning have helped unblock bottlenecks quickly, keeping operations steady even in demand spikes.

New Frontiers: Bahuda Major Port & a Shipbuilding/Repair Hub

PPA and the Government of Odisha have signed two transformative MoUs this year:

Bahuda Major Port: a greenfield ~150-MTPA gateway with an estimated ₹21,500 crore investment—set to become India’s 14th major port and expand Odisha’s maritime footprint.
Mahanadi-Mouth Shipbuilding & Repair Complex: ~₹24,700 crore to seed a full-spectrum shipbuilding and MRO ecosystem on the east coast.

Near-term execution focuses on joint working groups, SPV formation, DPR and statutory studies (including CRZ), connectivity under Gati Shakti, waterfront/land master-planning, and PPP/transaction design to crowd-in private capital early.

The Outlook: From Scale to Stickiness

With Cape-size capability coming online, a sharper container value proposition, and a green-smart infrastructure stack, Paradip is moving from volume scale to cargo “stickiness”—the kind that anchors long-term steel, energy, chemicals, and container value chains in its hinterland. The policy tailwinds (tariff stability, digitization, multimodal connectivity) and institutionalized collaboration give PPA the ingredients to sustain leadership while lowering the economy’s overall logistics cost.

Indian Maritime Week 2025 — Join the Conversation, Shape the Outcomes

Be there when the industry meets. Indian Maritime Week (IMW) 2025 brings together global shipping lines, cargo owners, port operators, financiers, and policymakers to co-create solutions on port modernization, capacity growth, green shipping, and maritime services. Paradip Port Authority will showcase:

Capacity & Competitiveness: Western Dock (Cape-ready), mechanization upgrades, and turnaround-time reductions.
Digital & EoDB: EBS, NLP-Marine at scale, AI-powered yard management, and fast-track clearances.
Green Transition: Solar roadmap, shore-power expansion, green-tug program, and the 4-MTPA green berth for hydrogen/ammonia exports.
Pipeline & Partnerships: Paradip port will be signing MoUs worth over Rs 1.5 Lakh Crores across Green hydrogen, Shipbuilding, Port Mordernization, Port led industrialisation, Sustainability, Digitalization, Trade & Business, Knowledge transfer and Others.

Briefing & Business Connect: PPA will host targeted briefings for shipping lines, miners, power producers, container stakeholders, financiers, and technology partners. Expect data-rich updates, clear transaction roadmaps, and curated B2B/B2G meetings aimed at converting conversations into projects.