Nhava Sheva Distribution Terminal, a unit of J M Baxi Ports & Logistics has entered a concession agreement with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) to upgrade, equip, operate, and maintain the shallow water and coastal berths at the State-owned port located near Mumbai.
J M Baxi Ports & Logistics placed a price bid of Rs 84.4 per tonne of cargo handled at the berths, to emerge the highest bidder on a tender issued by JNPA to privatise the berths through the public-private-partnership (PPP) route on a 30-year concession period.
In August, the company secured the bid to convert the dry bulk cargo Berth No. 9 at V O C Port Authority into a container terminal with private funds.
The shallow water and coastal berths will be upgraded in three years in a single phase.
J M Baxi Ports & Logistics plans to convert the berths into a coastal distribution hub at Nhava Sheva.
The four million tpa capacity shallow water berth (SWB) will have a length of 445 mtr of which 125 mtr has been developed as Ro-Ro terminal. It can accommodate vessels up to 30,000 tonne.
The coastal berth has the capacity to handle about 2.8 million tonne of coastal cargo per annum like steel, cement, container, fertilizer, food grains and a few other clean cargoes. The berth has a backup area of nine hectares for cargo storage and handling.