Govt gets 9 EoIs for Intl Transhipment Port in Andaman & Nicobar

NEW DELHI: The MoPSW has received expressions of interest (EOIs) fromnineplayersfortheRs41,000crore internationaltranshipmentportproject at Great Nicobar Island in the Bay of Bengal, a Senior Government official saidrecently.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways in a statement said the project is expected to be completed with an investment of Rs 41,000 crore (USD 5 billion), including investment from both government and public-private partnership (PPP) concessionaires. The proposed port in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands will have the ultimate capacity to handle 16 million containers per year, and in the first phase, to be commissioned by 2028 at a cost of Rs 18,000 crore, it will handle more than 4 million containers. Other projects planned around the transhipment port include an airport, township and power plant.

The project is located on the international trade route, with existing transhipment terminals like Singapore,

KlangandColomboinproximity.

The project focuses on three key drivers, which can result in making it a leading container transhipment port — strategic location in terms of proximity (40 nautical miles) with the international shipping trade route, availability of natural water depth of over 20m and carrying capacity of transhipmentcargofromalltheportsin theproximity,includingIndianports,as perthestatement.

Theproposedfacilityisenvisagedto bedevelopedinfourphases.