4th box terminal: JNPT may float tender by year-end

Mumbai: Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) is planning to come out with the final tender for its proposed fourth container terminal. The port is reportedly in discussion with the consultants for the launch of the offer document.

'We are in talks with our consultants, and we will come out with the final tender by the end of the year,' said Mr S.M. Kulkarni, Chief Manager-Port Planning and Development. The terminal, to be developed on BOT (build, operate and transfer) model, is expected to be completed by 2012.

It will be the last terminal at JNPT owing to space constraints, said Ms Maya Sinha, Deputy Chairperson. The port has 1,200 hectares of land earmarked for operations, which will be almost occupied after the fourth terminal, a company spokesperson added.

JNPT is in the process of augmenting its cargo handling facilities, having commissioned two Rail Mounted Gantry Cranes, said Mr R.T. Rewankar, Chief Manager (Operations). 'We will also get 3 Rail Mounted Quay Cranes (Container Handling Ship-Shore Gantry Crane) from Korea by the second quarter of 2007,' he added.

Total cargo handled by JNPT has moved up by 16.3 per cent to 42.38 million tonnes (38.5 mt) for calendar 2006. The container traffic during this period stood at 3.08 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit), a 19.3 per cent rise over that of last year.

During the first nine months of 2006-07 fiscal, the cargo throughput was 32.57 mt, a 16.2 per cent rise from 28.02 mt during the corresponding period last year. Container traffic for the same period has grown by 21.42 per cent to 2.38 million TEUs.

Of the total container traffic handled by the port during the financial year, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal handled 9.9 lakh TEUs, while Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal and Gateway Terminals India Pvt Ltd handled 10 lakh TEUs and 3.8 lakh TEUs, respectively.

However, the quantum of dry bulk, liquid bulk and break bulk handled came down drastically during the current financial year. Dry bulk traffic has fallen by 6.4 per cent while liquid bulk and break bulk transfer have dropped by 8.6 per cent and 46.1 per cent, respectively.