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India's Mundra port is planning to expand its bunkering facilities in the near future to cater for an anticipated growth in business, Business Line reports.

According to Mr B Ravi CEO of Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone Ltd. - the largest private port in India, located on the country's North West coast - the company will be looking to further expand its berthing capacity, bunkering capacities and oil storage and handling capabilities in order to meet business demand.

Details of the port's expansion plans follow news that Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone Ltd. recorded a 76 percent surge in net profit to INR 171 crore for the three-month period ended June 30th in comparison with the same period last year. Sales revenue rose by 21 percent year-on-year to INR 307 crore.

Commenting on the results, Gautam Adani, Chairman of Mundra Port Said “The cargo volumes have grown by 24 percent and the top line by 21 percent. The total cargo handled is 9.89 million tonnes.”

News of Mundra's positive financial results and expansion plans will have been welcomed by the port's leading bunker supplier Chemoil, which began supplying marine fuel at Mundra in January 2009.

The company achieved sales volumes of 50,000 metric tonnes in both March and April 2009 and expects sales to double to around 100,000 tonnes per month by the end of this year.

Besides Mundra, deliveries are also being carried out at the ports of Kandla, Sikka, Jamnagar and Bedi, all of them located within the state of Gujarat.

In June, Chemoil revealed that it also plans to begin supplying in the southeastern port of Chennai by the end of 2009.

Meanwhile, Mundra Port is also currently developing a 20-billion-rupee coal handling terminal at Mundra and another multi-purpose cargo terminal at Dahej, Gujarat in joint venture with Petronet LNG.