Dubai-based DP World has won the tender for building a Rs 4,243 crore mega container terminal at Tuna-Tekra in Deendayal Port (formerly Kandla Port).
Hindustan Ports Pvt Ltd, the Indian unit of D P World Ltd, trounced Adani Group’s Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), to win the rights to build the 2.19 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) capacity container terminal at the satellite facility of Tuna-Tekra.
The Union Cabinet in October 2022 had approved development of the container terminal at Tuna-Tekra, Deendayal Port under public-private-partnership (PPP) mode at an estimated cost of Rs 4,500 crore.
The global port operator placed the highest royalty of Rs 6,500 per TEU, beating Adani Ports, the only other bidder to submit a price bid, by a wide margin. APSEZ quoted Rs 1,500 per TEU as royalty.
A total of three bidders had shown interest. But the third, Qatar-based QTerminal did not turn up for the financial bid.
The letter of acceptance of the bid was issued to Hindustan Ports on 27 January.
Location
Kandla Port is one of the 12 major ports and country’s biggest state-owned port by volume. The port is well connected by the network of rail and road, and serves as the gateway for the trade generating from/to the entire northern India.
The existing facilities at Kandla are located within Kandla creek. To enhance the cargo handling capacity and to handle bigger size vessels, the port has initiated action to develop the port facilities outside Kandla creek i.e. at Tuna-Tekra in Gulf of Kutch within port limits.
The proposed container terminal at Tuna-Tekra is approximately 30 km away from the existing Kandla Port, about 1 km east from dry bulk terminal being constructed by the Adani group, and 40 km rast of Mundra port.
Greenfield Project
Tuna-Tekra container terminal is a greenfield project being developed on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis, where DP World will invest Rs 4,243 crore and an additional Rs 300 crore will be invested by the Deendayal Port Authority.
DP World will be responsible for the design, engineering, financing, procurement, implementation, commissioning, operation, management and maintenance of the project for a period of 30 years.
The planned container terminal will be capable of handling three vessels simultaneously and equipped to handle ships that can carry as much as 21,000 TEUs — this means the biggest of the container ships that are currently being constructed can come to Tuna-Tekra.
Initially, the project will cater to 14-metre draught vessels of 6,000 TEUs and accordingly, a common access channel with 15.5-metre depth will be dredged and maintained by Deendayal Port Authority.
During the concession period, DP World will also have the liberty to handle vessels up to 18-metre draught by deepening and widening the approach channel, berth pocket and turning circle.
The successful bidder will be free to set rates based on market conditions, another plus point for the project, unlike in the past where rates at state-owned ports were regulated.