Navi Mumbai: PM Modi To Inaugurate Vadhavan Port Ground-Breaking Ceremony On August 30

Navi Mumbai: PM Modi To Inaugurate Vadhavan Port Ground-Breaking Ceremony On August 30 |

Navi Mumbai: After getting Union Cabinet clearance on June 20, the ground-breaking ceremony of the Vadhavan Port will be held on August 30, 2024 at the hands of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The port will be developed by Vadhavan Port Project Limited (VPPL), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) formed for implementation of the project with equity from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB).

The Union Cabinet also approved the road connectivity for Vadhavan Port from NH 48 of about 32 km and authorized the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to make the relevant decision. “Palghar district collector will be holding a review meeting on Tuesday in the wake of the Prime Minister’s visit,” official sources said.

Expressing happiness over the development, JNPA Chairman Unmesh Sharad Wagh said, “The Prime Minister will grace the ground-breaking ceremony for one of the largest ports in the country. We have invited Express of Interest (EoI) from the interested parties for development and maintenance of the land to be created offshore of Vadhavan Coast by dredging, reclamation and construction of offshore protection bund for the port on public private partnership (HAM and Annuity model).”

“The last date of submission of EoI is August 20 and we will commence the tendering process for the port once we receive EoI applications,” Wagh added.

According to sources, the JNPA has received more than 40 EoI applications which will be reviewed and based on the suggestions, further process of tendering will commence.

Earlier, Wagh had said that the construction of the port will start after next monsoon when the approach road for the port is likely to be ready. “We want to take up the road project first since we do not want to disturb the local ecosystem while constructing the road. Post that we will commence with the port construction and expect to make the phase 1 of the port operational by 2029,” Wagh said.

The port will be developed on a landlord model with all basic infrastructure such as breakwater, rail & road connectivity, power & water lines, common infrastructure and supporting services. The Cargo/Container Terminals including the cargo handling infrastructure will be developed and operated by the concessionaires to be awarded as per PPP policy of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW).

While the total capacity of the Port is 24.5 million TEUs, it will be a competitive port for logistics for close connectivity to Maharashtra, Gujarat and National Capital Region (NCR). With a navigational channel depth of 20m, it will help provide connectivity to the Middle East and Europe connectivity corridor for economic integration.

The strategic placement of the Vadhvan Port will facilitate the call of container traffic. The port will bridge international and Indian coasts that will accelerate the economies of scale and mitigate the logistics cost. The total project cost, including the component of land acquisition, is Rs 76,220 Crore. This will include core infrastructure, terminals and other commercials in PPP mode.

The port will have nine container terminals, each of 1,000 meters length; four multipurpose berths; four liquid cargo berths; a Ro-Ro berth; a coastal cargo berth and a Coast Guard berth. The project involves reclamation of 1,448 Ha in offshore areas and construction of 10.14 km of breakwater, container/cargo storage areas.

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