V O Chidambaranar Port Trust (VOCPT) has invited bids to convert Berth No 9—a bulk cargo handling berth—into a container terminal, with an investment of Rs 434.17 crore through the public-private partnership (PPP) mode. Privatisation of the berth will expand the container handling capacity of VOCPT by 6 lakh twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per year. Bidders expected to participate in the bidding include Singapore’s PSA International, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, Bollore Africa Logistics, International Cargo Terminals and Infrastructure and JSW Infrastructure. At present, the trust owns two container terminals of 1.2 million TEUs capacity managed separately by PSA SICAL Terminals Ltd and Dakshin Bharat Gateway Terminal. The two terminals together now hold 7.62 lakh TEUs in FY21 to 8.04 lakh TEUs in the fiscal year 2020. The eligible bidders have to transform a 334.5 m berth into a container terminal of 8,000 TEUs capacity that transports at a depth of 14.2 m. A backup area of 10 hectare will also be undertaken by the private authorities. Other works that lead to the completion and maintenance of the terminal—developing the container yard, construction of terminal road and fencing, raising container-handling equipment like three rails mounted quay cranes, nine rubber-tyred gantry cranes, one reach stackers, 18 tractor-trailers, IT systems, etc— will come under the control of the bidder. Eligibility: The bidders are selected based on the highest value per TEU to VOC Port Trust. Interested bidders can submit their qualification papers on or before June 16, 2021. The remodelling of the berth to container handling facilities is done to transform VOCPT into a transhipment hub by the year 2025. The Central Government-owned port trust also targets to invest Rs 26.96 billion in converting berth no 1,2,3 and 4 into container terminals of 1.76 million TEU capacity and Rs 37.44 billion in creating a 4.1 million TEUs capacity in the port’s outer harbour. Image Source Also read: Tuticorin port to be transformed into transhipment hub