The Great Nicobar Island project is expected to transform India’s maritime trade and to position the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a major logistics hub in the Indo-Pacific, Lieutenant Governor D K Joshi said. He said the scheme has moved into an implementation phase with the International Container Transshipment Terminal as its flagship. The island’s proximity to the Malacca Strait was cited as a strategic advantage for transhipment traffic.\n\nJoshi outlined that in the first phase the terminal is expected to handle around six million (six mn) TEUs at an estimated cost of Rs 200 billion (Rs 200 bn), with completion targeted within three years of commencement. He said the final phase could raise capacity to 21 million (21 mn) TEUs, placing the port among India’s largest and notable in the Indo-Pacific. The project will be implemented under a public-private partnership with planned environmental safeguards.\n\nAlongside the port, a green-field international airport is planned, with at least one runway due to be operational within three years, and the runway at the naval air station INS Baaz in Campbell Bay is being extended to nearly three km to handle large aircraft. Officials said an agreement with Cochin Shipyard Limited will aid skill development and upgrades to boost ship repair capacity. Opposition parties have raised environmental concerns about potential ecological damage and coral loss; authorities said safeguards will be incorporated.\n\nComplementary proposals include a ship-to-ship transhipment terminal at Port Meadows off Swaraj Dweep and a proposed deep-water multipurpose port at Atlanta Bay near Diglipur to augment the Great Nicobar initiative. Multiple studies are under way and projects will be rolled out in phased stages over the coming years, with shipping activity expected to rise significantly over the next five years. Officials said the combined developments are intended to foster an initial ship repair hub that could evolve into a shipbuilding centre, supporting the Viksit Bharat vision for the islands.