India’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) continues to draw in potential investment commitments from the liner industry group for its mega-port plan at Vadhvan, a greenfield site some 120 miles north of Mumbai. ONE, CMA CGM and HMM are the latest prospective partners, having inked memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the port authority.
For ONE, it’s another indication that terminal operations remain an integral part of its business strategy. The Singapore-headquartered company in November announced its acquisition of a minority stake in New Priok Container Terminal One (NPCT1) in Jakarta. CMA CGM Group, through its subsidiary CMA Terminals (CMAT), already has significant terminal interests in India, including a joint-venture with Adani at Mundra, known as ACMTPL, and a 50:50 JV with JM Baxi at Nhava Sheva, known as NSFT.
Last week, ONE’s new Premier Alliance partner, HMM, unveiled its interest in the Vadhvan project by signing a similar MoU, and said it was keen to collaborate with JNPA. Through this MOU, HMM plans to strengthen its Indian services and enhance its port business competitiveness. ONE and HMM are set to jointly launch a new container service between West India and North Europe, debuting at Nhava Sheva with a call from the Hyundai Tokyo, scheduled for 12 February.
HMM has already built a network of services out of Kattupalli port, near Chennai, which recently received a boost with Container Corporation of India (Concor) opening a direct rail service from the Tughlakabad ICD in Delhi to the port for enhanced hinterland access.
MSC, via its port arm, TiL, AP Moller-Maersk and DP World had already entered that fray, with APMT’s regional MD for Asia Middle East describing Vadhvan as an attractive opportunity to support the growth of the local manufacturers, exporters, importers and the regional economy in general.
JNPA is moving at a brisk pace on the Vadhvan harbour development, after the final government nod last June. Current plans call for nine container terminals with a 1,000-metre quay each, four multipurpose berths, four dedicated berths for liquid cargo and one ro-ro facility, backed by expansive cargo storage capacity. Container-handling capacity at full buildout is pegged at some 23m teu.
Vadhvan’s phase 1 is targeted for commissioning in 2029, according to current indications.
Container carriers are increasingly targeting the Indian market in the wake of promising long-term economic indicators and diversifying supply chains in Asia. And that push is now stoking the desire for dedicated terminals amid the buzz around an integrated logistics playbook. Hapag-Lloyd owns 40% of JM Baxi Ports & Logistics, which has terminal operations at several Indian ports.
