Larsen, Philippines firm to jointly bid for MbPT project

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has roped in Philippines-based International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) to bid for the Rs 1,200 crore offshore container terminal project at the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT). This follows the government's rejection of L&T's Chinese partner Hutchison Ports Holdings.

Mumbai Port officials said the that port would ask the shipping ministry to grant security clearance to ICTSI to speed up the project. Bidding for the project was delayed 12 times owing to delay in security clearance.

L&T is likely to lose the Rs 500 crore second container terminal project at Chennai Port Trust following Hutchison's failure to receive government clearance on security grounds.

"L&T had submitted its bid for the Chennai Port project with HPH as management contractor. With the government denying security clearance to HPH, L&T's bid is likely to be eliminated from the race," sources said.

Other two shortlisted bidders of the Chennai project are the Port of Singapore Authority-Sical consortium and the Emirates Trading Agency-Gammon India consortium.

Industry analysts felt that projects of Chennai and Mumbai ports, which were delayed for last two years, would be expedited.

HPH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa, was debarred from bidding for the third container terminal project at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust.

In addition to HPH, the Centre has also denied security clearance proposals of two Chinese firms "" Kaidi Electrical Company and China Harbour Engineering Company "" which were bidding for the Rs 4,500 crore deepwater international container transshipment terminal at Vizhinjam, Thiruvananthapuram , in Kerala.