Rs 450 cr project to expand JNPT berthing

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), accounting for over half of India's container traffic, plans to extend its berthing at Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal at a cost of Rs 450 crore.

The quay length is to be extended by 330 metre, to enable it to handle two medium-sized ships, that will let it handle an additional 0.6 million TEUs (the international unit of measure for shipping containers) per annum.

"The expansion will be done through the Public Private Partnership model," JNPT deputy chairman Maya S Sinha said here today. UTI Advisory Bank, the consultant for this project, has submitted several options to be examined by the JNPT board at its meeting on Friday, she said. The proposal will be sent to the government for approval after the board clearance.

"We hope to get government approval by March-end," Sinha said. JNPT will call for Expression of Interest from interested parties after the government's approval and this process is expected in April.

"By July, we expect the project work to be started," she said. The expansion is part of Phase-I of the Rs 55,000 crore National Maritime Development Project.