The Board of Trustees of the V.O.Chidambaranar Port Trust (formerly Tuticorin Port Trust) has approved to qualify the RFQ bidders satisfying the qualification criteria for the second stage of bidding process (RFP stage) for the PPP project entailing conversion of the Port’s 8th berth to a container terminal on BOT basis, Dredgingtoday reports. This is subject to the bidders receiving security clearance from the Union government.
The RFP document will be issued to the qualified bidders with the condition that in case any of them are not qualified on the grounds of security clearance, their bid will not be opened and they will not be considered for the project.
The Port handled about 25.73 million tonnes of cargo, including 4,67,752 TEUs of containers, during the last financial year 2010-11, registering a growth rate of 8.16 per cent. The Port’s Berth No. 8, constructed by the management, is currently being used for handling general and bulk cargo. In order to cater to the ever increasing requirement of containers, the Port management decided to convert the 8th berth to a container terminal, thus facilitating the development of a second container terminal at the Port. The project was estimated at an outlay of Rs 335 crore.
However, it could not commence. Now, based on the reevaluation of the need for the second container terminal by the Indian Ports Association, and the direction of the Ministry of Shipping on the monopoly policy as well as the direction of the Supreme Court in the case filed by PSA Sical Terminal Ltd on the monopoly policy, the RFQ applications received from the bidders are under scrutiny.
V.O.Chidambaranar Port presently has capacity of 23.72 million tonnes, comprising 13 berths to handle a variety of cargo and one container terminal to handle boxes. The Port Management, with the approval of the Ministry of Shipping, has embarked upon the massive Inner Harbour Development projects to augment capacity to about 61.78 million tonnes.
The approval of the Board has paved the way for further processing of the tender for the second container terminal project by converting the 8th berth at a cost of Rs 332 crore.
The RFP document will be issued to the qualified bidders with the condition that in case any of them are not qualified on the grounds of security clearance, their bid will not be opened and they will not be considered for the project.
The Port handled about 25.73 million tonnes of cargo, including 4,67,752 TEUs of containers, during the last financial year 2010-11, registering a growth rate of 8.16 per cent. The Port’s Berth No. 8, constructed by the management, is currently being used for handling general and bulk cargo. In order to cater to the ever increasing requirement of containers, the Port management decided to convert the 8th berth to a container terminal, thus facilitating the development of a second container terminal at the Port. The project was estimated at an outlay of Rs 335 crore.
However, it could not commence. Now, based on the reevaluation of the need for the second container terminal by the Indian Ports Association, and the direction of the Ministry of Shipping on the monopoly policy as well as the direction of the Supreme Court in the case filed by PSA Sical Terminal Ltd on the monopoly policy, the RFQ applications received from the bidders are under scrutiny.
V.O.Chidambaranar Port presently has capacity of 23.72 million tonnes, comprising 13 berths to handle a variety of cargo and one container terminal to handle boxes. The Port Management, with the approval of the Ministry of Shipping, has embarked upon the massive Inner Harbour Development projects to augment capacity to about 61.78 million tonnes.
The approval of the Board has paved the way for further processing of the tender for the second container terminal project by converting the 8th berth at a cost of Rs 332 crore.