Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 13 January 2023
The Expression of Interest for the Mega Great Nicobar Transshipment Port Project is likely to be floated by the end of January 2023.
Mr. P L Haranadh, Chairman of Syama Prasad Mookherjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK) on 12th January 2023, while speaking to the media informed “The government is planning to build a container transhipment port at the southernmost tip of Andaman and Nicobar Islands at Galathea Bay. SMPK will float an EoI from interested investors by the end of January.”
“The EoI will help us seek feedback from global port operators, maritime service majors and shipping liners. After this process, a detailed Detailed Project report will be prepared for the project for seeking bids,” added Mr. P L Haranadh.
SMPK Deputy Chairman A K Mehra said a draft project was sent to the Centre for approval and once that comes, EoI will be floated.
There is no large container transhipment port in India and all international container cargo presently has to go to Colombo, Singapore and Port Klang in Malaysia. The transhipment port would enable big ships to anchor and raise India’s share in maritime trade, create new job opportunities and save a lot of forex, officials stated.
In the first phase, the length of the jetty will be 1.6 kilometres and will have a capacity of 4.3 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit). Later, it would be ramped up to 16 million TEUs over the years.
India has an International Container Transhipment Terminal at Kochi in Kerala but it has not taken off as expected, Mehra said adding that its scale is much lower than the proposed port in Great Nicobar Island.
Asked whether SMPK will be the executing agency for the project, officials stated that now the port has been asked to float the EoI, prepare a detailed project report and seek requests for proposals.
The natural depth available at Galathea Bay is 20 meters. It will offer two geographical advantages — proximity to the busy east-west international shipping route that can facilitate shorter transits and greater economies of scale, along with deep natural water depths that can accommodate the latest generation of mega-ships.
The ambitious development plan for Great Nicobar Islands by NITI Aayog, which includes an airport, a port, a rapid transport system, and a trade complex, may see an overall investment of Rs 40,000 crore, Harandh said.
(With Inputs from Reports published in Online News Portals)