Indian Govt Receives 11 EOIs for Great Nicobar Project

The Indian government has received expressions of interest (EOIs) from 11 stakeholders for the Rs 41,000-crore international transshipment port project on Great Nicobar Island in the Bay of Bengal, according to Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The project is expected to be completed with a total investment of 41,000 crore (US$5 billion), which will include investments from both the government and public sector concessionaires in a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The EOIs were submitted on January 28, 2022, and the planned port is set to have a maximum capacity to handle 16 million containers per annum.

The port will be strategically located in terms of proximity to the international shipping route and will have the natural water depths and carrying capacity to handle transshipment of cargo from nearby ports, including Indian ports. The planned facility is to be developed in four phases, and the estimated cost of Phase 1 is around Rs 18,000 crore, with core infrastructure being developed with government support. The PPP concessionaire will have the responsibility to develop a storage area, container handling equipment, and other infrastructure based on its own assessment, subject to the guaranteed minimum traffic.

Currently, almost 75 percent of cargo transshipped in India is handled at ports outside the country, with over 85 percent of this cargo being transshipped at ports in Colombo, Singapore, and Klang. The international transshipment port on Great Nicobar Island is expected to become a leading container transshipment port due to its strategic location and infrastructure.

Source .