11 cos show interest in Great Nicobar port project

The government has received expressions of interest (EOIs) from 11 players for the Rs 41,000-crore international transhipment port project at Great Nicobar Island in the Bay of Bengal, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal said. Last year, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways in a statement said the project is expected to be completed with an investment of Rs 41,000 crore, including investment from both government and public-private partnership (PPP) concessionaires. The EOI was sought on January 28, 2022. The proposed port in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands will have the ultimate capacity to handle 16 million containers per year, and in the first phase, to be commissioned by 2028 at a cost of Rs 18,000 crore, it will handle more than 4 million containers. Other projects planned around the transhipment port include an airport, a township and a power plant. The project is located on the international trade route, with existing transhipment terminals like Singapore, Klang and Colombo in proximity.