Kandla Port Trust (KPT) is planning to set up a container terminal at Tuna-Tekra in Gulf of Kutch. As many as 12 engineering consulting firms have submitted their bids for carrying out feasibility studies to set up the container terminal at Tekra, about 5 kilometers from Tuna.
"A container terminal is being planned off-Tekra near Tuna port under a public private partnership (PPP) model. We have invited bids for technical advisors to undertake feasibility study at the location. It would take about four-six months to finalise an advisor," said a senior KPT official.
In January, KPT had invited bids for appointment of technical advisor for carrying out feasibility studies for setting up of container terminal at Tuna-Tekra at Kandla Port.
The deadline for bid submission ended on March 16 with 12 bidders from across the globe filing their offers. According to sources, Tata group-owned Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd and Consulting Engineering Services (India) Private Limited (CES) are among the 12 global bidders.
"Container business at Kandla is fast growing and there is a limitation on capacity front. Therefore a new container terminal was necessitated at Tekra. However, financial and capacity related details of the terminal will be known only after the advisors submit their final report," informed the official.
At Kandla, there are 12 cargo berths, of which 10 berths for handling dry cargo and 2 berths for handling container cargo. The combined current capacity of the two container handling berths is about 7.2 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU). Both the berths are operated by ABG Kandla Container Terminal Ltd (ABGKCT).
According to details provided by KPT, the existing facilities at Kandla are located within the Kandla creek, while the port has initiated steps to develop the port facilities outside Kandla creek also at Tuna-Tekra in the Gulf of Kutch but within the KPT limits.
It may be mentioned here that recently, private sector ports operator, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) was awarded a project to develop a dry bulk terminal for handling 14 million tones of cargo per annum at Tekra. The project cost is estimated at Rs 1060 crore.
Currently, Tuna Port has got a barge jetty for handling dry cargo and KPT has initiated process to extend the existing jetty by additional 600 meters on a PPP mode.
"The advisor has to undertake a detailed reconnaissance survey including detailed study of existing drawings, layout of the port, bathymetry charts, existing chart showing the soil profile, existing metrological data, existing facilities of the port, nearby ecological spots, availability of land and availability of coastal line, basic infrastructural facilities, existing performance of port, available data of preliminary investigations and studies available with KPT or any other data as deemed fit by the advisor or the engineer in charge," KPT said in the tender notice. "Based on the above analysis of above studies worked out and establish the most ideal and technically economically suitable location of the proposed container terminal at Tuna/Tekra," it said.
