New JNPT terminal to cost Rs 3,500 cr

The government has estimated that the fourth terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust ( JNPT) will cost Rs 3,500 crore. The project is expected to be completed in two phases by 2011-12.

According to the preliminary plans drawn by the port, the fourth terminal with 3-4 million twenty foot equivalent (TEUs) capacity and 1.7 kilometre quay or terminal length, was expected to cost Rs 3,500 crore, ministry sources said.

The government has also planned a marine chemical terminal with an estimated cost of Rs 800 crore to be developed as an extension of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation jetty for handling liquid cargo.

The terminal is to have a quay length of 1.5 kilometre and a handling capacity of 15 million tonnes of liquid cargo.

Both the projects will be taken on build operate transfer basis and the port is in the process of finalising the consultants for preparing feasibility report for both the projects, with the combined cost of Rs 4,200 crore.

Once operational, these terminals will have the largest capacity to handle container terminals among all the ports. At present, JNPT has two container terminals with a combined capacity of 2.5 million tonnes. The BPCL jetty's capacity on the other hand can handle 5.5 million tonnes of liquid cargo.

Even the recently privatised third container terminal handed over to Maersk-Concor, has a capacity of 1.3 million TEUs and quay length of 712 meters.

The terminal is expected to be operational in 2006. The ministry officials have indicated that given the continuous congestion problem that the port has been witnessing for the past one year, it is important that such large additional capacities be created.

Moreover, he added, once the deepening of channel project got over, the port could expect larger vessels and greater traffic in future.

Mega projects

• The project is expected to be completed in two phases by 2011-12.
• The government has also planned a marine chemical terminal with an estimated cost of Rs 800 crore.