December 02, 2008

Kolkata Port to call bids for 16 million TEU capacity terminals

Exim News Service reported that cost estimates of Kolkata Port Trust’s proposed container terminal at Diamond Harbor on the Hooghly are reported to have more than doubled to INR 12.3 billion and KoPT will soon seek requests for bids for the 1.6 million TEU capacity terminal that is projected to achieve 1.1 million TEUs in its very first year of operation.

The project proposal which originally called for 2 phases with provisions for handling both dry bulk cargo as well as containers has since been revised by a committee and it will now be built in just 1 phase with 4 ship handling piers and 2 barge piers, 120 acres for yard space and back-up land.

Dr AK Chanda chairman of KoPT said that the container terminal will be built as a public private partnership on a build operate and transfer basis.

As per report, the West Bengal government will provide 23 hectares for the terminal, private owners 16 hectares and the Ministry of Defense and the Director General of Lighthouse and Lightships the rest of the land necessary.