09:34 May 26, 2013  

Essar Ports Ltd

HSL Code: ESSPOR  |   BSE Code: 500630  |   NSE Symbol: ESSARPORTS  |   ISIN: INE282A01024
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ESSAR PORTS LIMITED
(FORMERLY KNOWN AS ESSAR SHIPPING PORTS AND LOGISTICS LIMITED)

ANNUAL REPORT 2011-2012

DIRECTOR`S REPORT

To, 
The Members of, 
Essar Ports Limited.

Your  Directors take pleasure in presenting the Thirty-Sixth Annual  Report 
of your Company together with Audited Accounts for the year ended March 31, 
2012.

1. FINANCIAL RESULTS:

The  summary  of  consolidated and standalone  financial  results  of  your 
Company for the year ended March 31, 2012 are furnished below:

                                                             (Rs. in crore)
Particulars                             Consolidated           Standalone
                                    For the    For the    For the   For the
                                       year       year       year      year 
                                      ended      ended      ended     ended  
                                  March 31,  March 31,  March 31, March 31, 
                                       2012       2011       2012      2011

Total Income                       1,131.06   2,086.12      52.56    659.36

Total Expenditure                    217.85   1,174.10      23.52    378.55

EBITDA                               913.21     912.02      29.04    280.81

Less: Interest & Finance charges     420.81     473.75      92.40    184.07

Less: Provision for Depreciation     220.24     320.83       7.40     59.87

Profit before exceptional item       272.16     117.44    (70.76)     36.87

Less: Exceptional item               235.51          -          -         -

Profit after exceptional              36.65     117.44    (70.76)     36.87
item and before Tax 

Less: Provision for Tax             (62.19)      34.60     (0.23)     16.00

Profit before Share of                98.84      82.84    (70.99)     20.87
Minority Interest 

Less: Share of Minority Interest      34.89      12.69          -         -

Profit after Tax                      63.95      70.15    (70.99)     20.87

Note: The consolidated and standalone financial figures for the year  ended 
March 31, 2011 include the figures attributable to the demerged shipping  & 
logistics  and  oilfields services businesses upto September 30,  2010  and 
hence  are  not comparable with the figures for the year  ended  March  31, 
2012.

2. DIVIDEND:

Your Company proposes a dividend of 5% on the equity shares of the Company.

3. MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS:

Indian Economy and Infrastructure Sector:

The Indian Economy grew by a moderate 6.5% in FY12 compared to 8.4% in  the 
last two years. In spite of this slowdown, India remains one of the fastest 
growing  economies  in  the  world.  Manufacturing  has  showed  signs   of 
deceleration  in FY12, with growth of Index of Industrial Production  (IIP) 
slowing to 2.8% in FY12, as against a high of 8.2% in the previous year. On 
the  other  hand,  fundamentals of the economy  remain  strong,  backed  by 
promising  growth in external trade. Exports registered a growth of 21%  in 
FY12 to USD 303.7 billion while imports registered a growth of 32.2% to USD 
488.6  billion.  India  had  the fastest  growth  in  exports  among  major 
economies  in 2011, with shipments rising 16.1% compared to global  average 
growth of 5% and a 9.3% growth in China.

Indian  Economy  witnessed high  inflation during the year and  to  control 
that  Reserve Bank of India (RBI) introduced monetary  controls.  Recently, 
RBI  relaxed  its monetary control as is evident from the  50  basis  point 
reduction  in  Repo rate in April 2012. Several banks  have  reduced  their 
lending and deposit rates following the monetary policy announcement,  this 
will fuel the investment in and growth of the economy.

The  focus of the Government is on growth of the infrastructure  sector  to 
ensure that earlier growth targets set in the ports, roads, steel and power 
sectors  are  achieved  and the economy gets back to 8%  plus  growth  rate 
trajectory.

Ports Sector:

Indian  ports  have handled a total of 929 million metric tonnes  (MMT)  of 
cargo  during FY12 registering a moderate growth of 5% compared to 884  MMT 
of cargo handled during FY11. The ports sector in India has grown at a CAGR 
of 10% in the last 10 years. 

However, in the last 2 years, growth in the ports sector has been below its 
potential  due to imposition of higher export duty on iron ore  and  higher 
railway  charges for transportation of iron ore. Growth of the port  sector 
has  also been affected by rise in prices of imported coal. However,  these 
issues  are expected to be temporary in nature and the port  sector  growth 
story is expected to remain intact in the long run.

Growth  of  the port sector is linked to the growth of Indian  economy  and 
external  trade. The Indian economy is expected to achieve growth rates  of 
8-9%  in the next few years. Similarly, the growth in trade is expected  to 
be  robust resulting in growth of traffic. As per Maritime  Agenda  2010-20 
published by the Ministry of Shipping, port traffic is expected to reach to 
2,495 MMT by 2020 from 850 MMT in 2010. As the economy grows, port  traffic 
will  increase  and more investment opportunities will be created  in  this 
sector.  Considering high capacity utilisation of existing port assets  and 
expected  higher traffic growth in future, new capacity addition  in  ports 
will  have good utilisation and the port sector will remain  an  attractive 
investment destination.

Challenges faced by the port sector:

Several port projects have been affected due to procedural delays linked to 
approvals and clearances required for the  projects. Connectivity of  ports 
is  another major challenge as it is critical for the ports to  operate  at 
their  optimum  capacity. Government initiatives for  development  of  port 
connectivity as linkages to the hinterland would provide necessary boost to 
the sector.

Essar Ports-performance:

Your  Company  is  one  of the largest private  sector  port  and  terminal 
companies  in India and the year under review has been a good year for  the 
Company.

Strategic partnership with Port of Antwerp:

Your  Company  has entered into a Strategic partnership with  the  Port  of 
Antwerp  International  which is an investment arm of the Port  of  Antwerp 
(POA). POA is the second largest port in Europe.

The  partnership  envisages  collaboration in the  areas  of  training  and 
consultancy services, port planning, traffic flow, quality and productivity 
improvement  and  will  further  build  a  mutually  beneficial  commercial 
relationship based on mutual business and investment preferences.

Port  of Antwerp International UK Limited has also  invested  approximately 
Rs. 175 crore in the Global Depository Securities of your Company.

Your  Company has issued 52,666 Global Depository  Securities  representing 
1,74,32,446  underlying  equity  shares of Rs. 10/- each at  a  premium  of 
Rs.90/- per share.

Highlights:

*  A 12 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) handling capacity  terminal 
has  been  commissioned  on  April 1, 2011 by  Vadinar  Ports  &  Terminals 
Limited.

* Cargo handled by your Company has increased by 9% from 39.55 MMT in  FY11 
to 43.23 MMT in FY12.

* Revenue increased by 51% from Rs.746 crore in FY11 (for the port  segment 
prior to demerger) to Rs.1,131 crore in FY12.

*  EBITDA increased by 65% from Rs.550 crore in FY11 (for the port  segment 
prior to demerger) to Rs. 913 crore in FY12.

*  Net  profit doubled from Rs. 28.5 crore in FY11 (for  the  port  segment 
prior to demerger) to Rs. 63.9 crore in FY12.

*  3rd  party  cargo contributed about 4% of total revenue  of  Essar  Bulk 
Terminal Limited.

*  Continued focus on Quality, Health, Safety and Environment  resulted  in 
ISO 9001 certification for quality; ISO 14001 certification for Environment 
and  OHSAS  18001 certificates for occupational health and safety  for  the 
Company`s Vadinar and Hazira facilities.

Performance Update:

This  was  the  first full year of operations for  your  Company  post  the 
demerger of shipping & logistics and oilfields services businesses. Despite 
global  slowdown  and several other challenges being faced  by  the  Indian 
economy,  your  Company has performed exceptionally well in  all  areas  of 
operations inter alia:

* 9% increase in cargo is due to higher capacity utilisation at Hazira  and 
expansion of the port facilities at Vadinar for handling increased cargo.

*  Your Company registered not only substantial increase in  billed  volume 
but also substantial increase in realisation per tonne. The realisation  on 
billed volume increased by 26% during the year from Rs. 185/MMT in FY11  to 
Rs. 233/MMT in FY12. The increase in billed volume and realisation has  led 
to  51% growth in revenue from Rs. 746 crore in FY11 (for the port  segment 
prior to demerger) to Rs.1,131 crore in FY12.

* Vadinar Ports & Terminals Limited commissioned its facilities on April 1, 
2011,  which  has increased revenues substantially due to  higher  facility 
usage  charges  and higher throughput. At Hazira, billed  volume  increased 
substantially as per the cargo handling contract with customers. 3rd  party 
cargo handling at Hazira contributed 4% to the total revenue at Hazira.

* Your Company has recorded EBITDA margin of 80%, one of the highest in the 
industry,  an  increase  from  73% in FY11.  The  EBITDA  of  your  Company 
increased by 65% from Rs. 550 crore in FY11 (for the port segment prior  to 
demerger) to Rs. 913 crore in FY12.

* Your Company recognised a one time contingent liability of Rs.235.5 crore 
as  long  term debt as per the agreement with the lenders  of  Vadinar  Oil 
Terminal  Limited, which will be paid between 2019 and 2023 and carries  an 
interest of 5% p.a.

Progress of the project under implementation:

*  A 16 MMTPA capacity berth at Paradip for handling iron ore is  close  to 
commissioning  and  is expected to be completed during  second  quarter  of 
FY13.

* Progress of the construction of a 20 MMTPA coal berth at Salaya is as per 
plan.  All important equipment like ship unloader, ship loader and  stacker 
cum reclaimer have been delivered at the site.

*  Construction  of  a 14 MMTPA coal terminal at  Paradip  is  expected  to 
commence  during  second half of FY13. Environment clearance  and  stage  I 
forest clearance have been received and final forest clearance is  expected 
shortly.

Risk and Concerns:

Implementation and operation of port and terminal facilities are  dependent 
on  various regulatory approvals and government policies. Changes in  macro 
economic  factors  like inflation, interest rate, world trade  and  natural 
catastrophes also play an important role in the trade of goods and cargo.

Any  adverse  change  in the above may affect the  performance    of   your   
Company.   

Your  Company periodically reviews the risks associated with  the  business 
and takes steps to mitigate and minimise the impact of risks.

4. QUALITY, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT:

Your  Company,  in  order  to  ensure  highest  standard  of  safety,   has 
implemented and initiated various measures with respect to Quality,  Safety 
and  Environment Management Systems. The initiatives by your  Company  have 
been  rewarded with several recognitions. Some of the key recognitions  are 
as follows:

*  Vadinar  Oil  Terminal  Limited (VOTL) has  been  certified  by  British 
Standard  for Occupational Health & Safety Advisory Services  (OHSAS)  for, 
`Zero Gas Release`, `Zero Fire Incident` and `Zero Loss Time Accident or No 
Loss Time Accident`.

*  VOTL  completed 2,000 Lost Time Injury Free days during the  year  under 
review.

*  In  line  with Environment  Management  initiatives,  VOTL  successfully 
achieved the `Zero Spill/No Spill`, target and `Reduction of Emission`.

*  An Annual Audit was also successfully carried out for the following  ISO 
certifications:

- ISO 9001:2008          Quality Management
                         System by ABS

- ISO 14001:2004         Environment
                         Management System by Det Norske Veritas (DNV)

- ISO 18001:2007         OHSAS by DNV

- ISO 28000:2007         Security Management
                         System by ABS

- OCIMF Terminal         Baseline Criteria
                         Certification by ABS

*  Essar Bulk Terminal Limited (EBTL) also achieved Zero Loss  Time  Injury 
during the year.

* EBTL has been certified for the following:

- ISO 18001:2007         OHSAS by IRQS for
                         Health & Safety

- ISO 14001:2004         Environment
                         Management System by IRQS

- ISO 9001:2008          Quality Management
                         System by IRQS

The  terminal  of EBTL also has the Navigation Safety  at  Ports  Committee 
(NSPC) approval from the Director General of Shipping, Mumbai.

5. INTERNAL CONTROL FRAMEWORK:

Your  Company  conducts its business with integrity and high  standards  of 
ethical  behaviour  and in compliance with the laws  and  regulations  that 
govern  its  business.  Your Company has a  well-established  framework  of 
internal   controls  in  its  operations,  including  suitable   monitoring 
procedures.  In addition to an external audit, the financial and  operating 
controls  of  your Company at various locations are  reviewed  by  Internal 
Auditors,  who  report  their observations to the Audit  Committee  of  the 
Board.

6. HUMAN RESOURCE:

Human  resources  have  always been the key to success  of  your  Company`s 
business. New teams were constituted to steer projects at Salaya Port  near 
Jamnagar  and  Paradip Port in Odisha. A balance of internal  and  external 
talent  was  maintained to ensure right skills are  available  to  initiate 
project activities. A large number of fresh talent comprising engineers and 
management   graduates  were  deployed  to  nurture  future   Essar   Ports 
facilities.

At  the existing ports of Hazira and Vadinar, special emphasis was laid  on 
the  training  of employees with a combination of "On the job and  Off  the 
job" training. Your Company has introduced technology-enabled HR  practices 
in  Performance Management and Training to streamline and strengthen  these 
practices.

7. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:

Your  Company  successfully implemented SAP in its  financial  and  related 
systems.  For  dry  bulk  as  well as  oil  terminals,  systems  have  been 
implemented  to  capture end-to-end workflow covering all  activities  from 
pre-arrival  intimations  to actual departure of  vessels.  Expected  berth 
occupancy  is  being plotted thereby optimising the berth  utilisation  and 
increasing   berth   efficiency.  Various  dashboard  reports   have   been 
implemented in the system for berth performance and resource monitoring.

8. SUBSIDIARIES:

As on March 31, 2012, the following were the subsidiaries of your Company:

1. Vadinar Oil Terminal Limited (VOTL)

2. Vadinar Ports & Terminals Limited (a subsidiary of VOTL)

3. Essar Bulk Terminal Limited

4. Essar Bulk Terminal (Salaya) Limited

5. Essar Paradip Terminals Limited

6. Essar Bulk Terminal Paradip Limited

In accordance with the general circular issued by the Ministry of Corporate 
Affairs, Government of India, the Balance Sheet, Profit & Loss Account  and 

other documents of the subsidiary companies are not being attached with the 
Balance  Sheet of the Company. The Company will make available  the  Annual 
Accounts  of  the subsidiary companies and the related information  to  any 
member  of  the Company who may be interested in obtaining  the  same.  The 
annual  accounts  of  the  subsidiary  companies  will  also  be  kept  for 
inspection  at  the  Registered  Office of the  Company  and  that  of  the 
respective  subsidiary  companies. The  Consolidated  Financial  Statements 
presented  by the Company include the financial results of  the  subsidiary 
companies.

9. DIRECTORS:

In  accordance  with  the provisions of the Companies  Act,  1956  and  the 
Articles  of Association of the Company, Mr. Deepak Kumar Varma,  Mr.  K.V. 
Krishnamurthy  and Mr. Rajiv Agarwal retire at the ensuing  Annual  General 
Meeting  of  the  Company  and being eligible,  offer  themselves  for  re-
appointment.

Mr.  Shashi Ruia resigned from the directorship of your Company on May  25, 
2012.  Your  Board places on record their appreciation for  the  invaluable 
contribution  made  by Mr. Ruia in the growth and progress of  the  Company 
during his tenure as Director.

Mr. Jan Adam has been appointed as an Additional Director on May 30,  2012. 
The  Company has received a notice from a member proposing the  appointment 
of Mr. Adam as a Director of your Company.

10. AUDITORS:

Your  Company`s  Auditors,  Messrs. Deloitte  Haskins  &  Sells,  Chartered 
Accountants,  Ahmedabad, the Statutory Auditors of the Company hold  office 
until the conclusion of the ensuing Annual General Meeting and are eligible 
for re-appointment.

The  Company  has  received a letter from them to  the  effect  that  their 
appointment,  if made, would be within the prescribed limits under  Section 
224  (1B)  of  the  Companies Act, 1956 (the Act) and  that  they  are  not 
disqualified  for re-appointment within the meaning of Section 226  of  the 
said Act.

11. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE:

The  Company  has  complied  with  the  requirements  under  the  Corporate 
Governance reporting system. The disclosures as required therein have  been 
furnished  in  the  Annexure  to  the  Directors`  Report  under  the  head 
"Corporate Governance".

12. PARTICULARS REQUIRED UNDER THE COMPANIES (DISCLOSURE OF PARTICULARS  IN 
THE REPORT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS) RULES, 1988:

This  does not apply to your Company as the Ports & Terminals  industry  is 
not included in the Schedule to the relevant rules.

Foreign exchange earnings and outgo are summarised below:

Total Foreign Exchange:

(1) Earned (including freight, charter  : Rs.  7.98 crore  
hire earnings, interest income, etc.)

(2) Used (including loan repayments,    : Rs. 11.67 crore  
interest, operating expenses, etc.)

13. PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYEES:

Information as per Section 217(2A) of the Companies Act, 1956 read with the 
Companies  (Particulars of Employees) Rules, 1975, as amended, is given  in 
the Annexure forming part of this Report. However, as per the provisions of 
Section  219(1)(b)(iv) of the said Act, the Report and Accounts  are  being 
sent  to  all the shareholders of the Company excluding  the  statement  of 
particulars of employees under u/s.217(2A) of the said Act. Any shareholder 
interested  in obtaining a copy of this statement may write to the  Company 
Secretary for the same at the Registered Office of the Company.

14. STATEMENT OF DIRECTORS RESPONSIBILITIES:

Pursuant to the requirement of Section 217(2AA) of the Companies Act, 1956, 
the Board of Directors hereby state that:

a)  In  the preparation of the annual accounts, the  applicable  accounting 
standards have been followed and there have been no material departures;

b)  The Directors have selected such accounting policies and  applied  them 
consistently  and  made  judgments and estimates that  are  reasonable  and 
prudent  so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of  the 
Company  at the end of the financial year and of the profit or loss of  the 
Company for that period;

c) The Directors have taken proper and sufficient care for the  maintenance 
of  adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions  of  this 
Act  for  safeguarding  the assets of the Company and  for  preventing  and 
detecting fraud and other irregularities; and

d)  The  Directors  have prepared the annual accounts on  a  going  concern 
basis.

15. APPRECIATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Your  Directors  express their sincere thanks and appreciation to  all  the 
employees for their commendable teamwork and contribution to the growth  of 
the Company.

Your  Directors  also thank its bankers and other business  associates  for 
their continued support and co-operation during the year.

                                             For and on behalf of the Board

                                        Rajiv Agarwal         Shailesh Sawa
                                        Managing Director  Director Finance
Place: Mumbai 
Date : May 30, 2012.

ANNEXURE TO THE DIRECTOR`S REPORT:

Information  required to be disclosed as per Securities and Exchange  Board 
of India (Employees Stock Option Scheme and Employee Stock Purchase Scheme) 
Guidelines, 1999:

Particulars                   Details 

(a) Options granted           7,40,334

(b) The pricing formula       The Options have been granted at a price 
                              which is equal to the closing price of the 
                              equity shares on the stock exchange having 
                              the highest trading volume a day prior to 
                              the meeting of the Compensation Committee.

(c) Options Vested            Nil

(d) Options Exercised         Nil

(e) Total number of shares    Not Applicable 
arising as a result of 
exercise of Options (Equity 
shares of Rs. 10/- each)

(f) Options lapsed            Nil

(g) Variation of terms        None
of Options 

(h) Money realised by 
exercise of Options           Nil

(i) Total Number of Options   7,40,334 
in force 

(j) Employee-wise details 
of options granted to:

i) Senior Managerial          Mr. Rajiv Agarwal   -    2,31,954
Personnel:                    Mr. Shailesh Sawa   -    1,23,285

ii) Any other employee who    Mr. Tej Nargundkar  -    1,47,595 
receives a grant, in any      Capt.  Rajen Sachar -      43,408 
one year, of Options          Capt. Rajesh Beri   -      67,797 
amounting to 5% or more of    Mr. P.K. Srivastava -      49,568
Options granted during   
that year                     Mr. S. Shanmugam    -      45,952

iii) Identified employees     Nil 
who were granted Options, 
during any one year, equal 
to or exceeding 1% of the 
issued capital (excluding 
outstanding warrants and 
conversions) of the 
Company at the time of 
grant.

(k) Diluted Earnings Per      Not applicable as the Options are   
Share (EPS) pursuant to       anti-dilutive
issue of shares on exercise 
of option calculated in 
accordance with [Accounting 
Standard (AS) 20 `Earnings 
per Share`].

(l) Where the Company has     If the compensation cost on account of stock 
calculated the employee       Options was computed using the fair value 
compensation cost using       method, the compensation cost and loss for 
the intrinsic value of the    the year would have been higher by Rs.26.78 
stock Options, the            lakhs. The impact on EPS for the year would 
difference between the        be Rs. 0.01.
employee compensation 
cost so computed and the 
employee conpensation cost 
that shall have been 
recognised if it had used 
the fair value of the 
difference on profits and
on EPS of the Company 
shall also be disclosed.

(m) Weighted-average          Rs. 71.10 per Option
exercise prices and 
weighted-average fair 
values of Options shall 
be disclosed separately 
for Options whose exercise 
price either equals or 
exceeds or is less than 
the market price of the 
stock.

(n) A description of the 
method and significant 
assumptions used during 
the year to estimate the 
fair values of Options, 
including the following 
weighted-average 
information:

(i) Risk-free interest rate   8.36%

(ii) Expected life            5-7 years

(iii) Expected volatility     64.81%

(iv) Expected dividends       Nil

(v) The price of the          Rs.71.10 
underlying share in 
market at the time 
of Option grant.

                                             For and on behalf of the Board

                                        Rajiv Agarwal         Shailesh Sawa
                                        Managing Director  Director Finance
Place: Mumbai 
Date : May 30, 2012.
 
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