The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) has invited private firms to bid for developing and operating an automated empty container yard on a 26.20-hectare site near Sawarkhar Village, approximately 20-25 km from Navi Mumbai. The 30-year lease project is aimed at enhancing infrastructure and trade efficiency under the "ease of doing business" initiative.

The yard will handle, store, repair, and service empty ISO shipping containers to tap into the export-import potential of the port, which primarily caters to trade in Northern, Western, and Central India. On average, JNPA handles 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of empty containers annually, accounting for 18% of its total throughput.

The successful bidder must develop an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) on at least 25% of the land, achieving a minimum storage capacity of 25,000 TEUs within two years and scaling up to 100,000 TEUs within five years. The project also requires a truck appointment system to prevent traffic congestion, gate automation, and real-time container location mapping through a terminal operating system.

JNPA has set a reserve lease price of Rs 90.4 million per annum, including GST, with bidders required to quote premiums above this rate. Lease rent will escalate by 2% annually, with options for upfront payment calculated as the net present value of the total lease rent over 30 years.

Currently, 74 privately operated empty container yards exist near JNPA, with varying infrastructure quality and logistical inefficiencies. Many yards face challenges such as inadequate road access, lack of parking, and unsystematic container stacking, leading to traffic congestion and higher logistics costs.

This initiative is expected to streamline operations, reduce bottlenecks, and improve governance in empty container yard management. JNPA's move aims to address long-standing inefficiencies while supporting India's growing trade demands. (ET)