The Mumbai Port Trust's Rs 1,200 crore offshore container terminal project has been delayed for the seventh time after the port trust extended the bidding deadline for the global tender from Thursday to April 16, N M Purohit, chief engineer. | |
| A port official said that the deadline was extended at the behest of the shipping ministry to accommodate Hong Kong-based Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) into the tender. HPH, which will partner with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the project, is yet to get security clearance from the Indian government, without which the consortium cannot submit its bid, said the official. |
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| This situation has left L&T in limbo since it cannot participate in the tender process without having a partner who has experience in developing projects of international standards. L&T had already declared HPH as a partner while buying tender documents for this project. |
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| "MbPT is not averse to extension of the bidding deadline, as during pre-bid meetings with potential investors, it had sensed 'genuine' desire of HPH to develop the offshore container terminal," the official added. |
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| Some of the earlier interested parties were among those companies that had bought tender documents when the project was opened to global bids for the first time three years ago. |
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| MbPT was forced to cancel the first tender when none of the companies submitted bids, saying the project was not financially attractive. |
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| Others participating in the current tender are Mitsui OSK, P&O Ports, ULA of India with SSLA GmbH, Germany, Gammon Infrastructure with Dragados of Italy, ABG Heavy Industries with ILFS, Dubai Port International, Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine, Adani Exports and AP Moller Finance SA. |
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