Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Mumbai, on Wednesday, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Nhava Sheva Gateway Terminal, a subsidiary of Dubai-based DP World, to develop a Rs.600-crore standalone container handling facility on a 27-hectare plot at JN Port container terminal.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Shipping Minister G. K. Vasan and DP World Chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vasan said JNPT was the first major port in the country to lead the way in showing the benefits of public- private partnership (PPP) by commissioning the first private terminal — Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal — in 1999, and had brought international container handling parameters to India.
“JNPT is the biggest container handling port in India, handling around 44 per cent of the country’s containerised cargo, first crossing the historic landmark of 4 million TEUs in container throughput in 2007-08. JNPT is at present ranked 26th among the top 100 container ports in the world,” Mr. Vasan said.
Under the MoU, the standalone container handling facility would have a quay length of 330 metres.
JNPT Chairman N. N. Kumar said as per the PPP policy, global tender was floated, and DP World was the successful bidder for the project. DP World formed a special purpose vehicle — Nhava Sheva Gateway Terminal — to implement the project. It would be executed on DBFOT (design, build, finance, operate and transfer) basis.
The new container would add 8,00,000 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units) of container capacity and help ease congestion at JNPT.
Mr. Sulayem said DP World would have a 17-year concession period for the project and construction would be completed by December 2015.
