VOCPT invites bids for ₹434-cr container terminal

V O Chidambaranar Port Trust (VOCPT) in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district has invited bids to convert one of its bulk cargo handling berths into a container terminal through the public-private partnership (PPP) at an investment of ₹434.17 crore. The initiative has been aimed at boosting the container handling capacity by 6 lakh twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) a year. Its two terminals handled a combined 762,000 twenty-foot equivalent units in FY21 compared to 804,000 TEUs in the previous year. The successful bidder will be required to convert the 334.5-metre berth into a container terminal that can accommodate 8,000-TEU capacity ships at a depth of 14.2 metres. About 10 hectares of the backup area will also be handed over to the private operator. The bidder will be responsible for developing the container yard, construction of terminal road and fencing, erecting container-handling equipment such as three rail-mounted quay cranes, nine rubber-tyred gantry cranes, one reach stackers, 18 tractor-trailers, IT systems and other works for successful completion and operation of the terminal. The project will be awarded to the bidder quoting the highest royalty per TEU to VOC Port Trust and that the bidders have time until June 16 to submit their qualification papers. The conversion of Berth No 9 into a container handling facility is part of a road for the port's transition into a transshipment hub by 2025.