20 June 2024 (Lloyd's List) - A MASSIVE new port project has been granted approval by the Indian government which, when completed, will be able to handle more than 23m teu a year.

Vadhavan Port will be located just north of Mumbai and nearly 200 km north of Jawaharlal Nehru, which itself handles more than 6m teu a year.

At capacity, Vadhavan would comfortably surpass Jawaharlal Nehru and move into the top 10 biggest container ports in the world.

When finished, the port will boast nine container terminals, each with quay of 1,000 metres, four liquid cargo berths and a ro-ro berth.

It will require nearly 15 sq km of land to be reclaimed from the sea and the building of a 10 km offshore breakwater and container storage area.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority will own 74% of the joint venture and the Maharashtra Maritime Board 24%. The total project cost is expected to reach close to $10m.

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X the decision by the cabinet, which he chairs, to develop the port “will boost economic progress and also create employment opportunities at scale”.

Although Jawaharlal Nehru remains a highly successful container port, its expansion is limited by the port’s draught of 15 m, which means it will struggle to berth the biggest boxships.

Vadhavan has a natural draught of 20 m close to the shoreline, which means it could welcome the biggest containerships on the ocean.