Navayuga Engineering Company (NEC) has commenced the development of Machilipatnam Port, which is one of the most long-awaited deep sea ports on the east coast of the country. NEC bagged the project to develop the port on Build-Own-Operate-Transfer basis for a period of 50 years. Subsoil at the site of the port consists of soft marine clay for nearly 18 m. NEC has developed the design of a structural breakwater, which is a first in the world. Layout of the breakwaters and berths have been made to obtain absolute tranquility in the port waters. Chinta Sridhar, Managing Director, Navayuga Engineering Company said, “Having successfully undertaken several port development projects, we are poised to achieve the distinction of being the largest developer and operator of ports in India. We aim to develop the port in a record time of 18 months. The port will herald a new era of economic activity and dramatically transform the lifestyle of the localities by generating umpteen business and employment opportunities.” Spread across 4800 acres, the first phase is expected to be complete and operational in record time of 18 months. With four berths to be operational after the first phase of construction, Machilipatnam will have 40 mn tonne in the first phase and on completion, 150 mn tonne. The port will handle multiple cargo’s like container, bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, general cargo and project cargo. The project is expected to generate employment opportunities entailing 80,000 direct jobs and indirect jobs. Strategically located, Machilipatnam will be the gateway for most international trading activities of central India. It will not only cater to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana but also extend the logistics benefits to Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka. It is well connected with roads and rail connectivity with national grid. The port enjoys shortest distance connectivity with Inland Container Depots (ICDs) as compared to any other port on the east coast of India. Besides the strategic location, the advantage of an extensive back up area for container stacking will make Machilipatnam one of the most preferred container ports on the east coast of India.