The Indian government finally gave the green light to the $9.1 billion port project, after ten years of talking about it.
A mega-port is to be built In Vadhavan, about 125 km north of Mumbai on India’s west coast. It will have nine container terminals, four liquid bulk cargo quays, a quay for ro-ro traffic and an area reserved for the Coastguard.
There are two phases to the project. The first step is due to be completed by 2029. A joint venture between Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, which will have a 74% stake, and Maharashtra Maritime Board, holding the remaining 26% of the shares, will be responsible for building the new port.
Once completed, the port will be able to handle up to almost 300 million tonnes of goods a year and over 23 million TEUs, 15 million of which already in the first phase of the project.
Translation by Giles Foster
