The Hindu Business Line : Maersk may bid for fourth box terminal at JNPT

EVEN while it is in the process of setting up the third container terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Maersk India Pvt Ltd is exploring the option of participating in the bidding process for the proposed fourth container terminal.

"We will be definitely looking at the fourth container terminal project. We believe there are adequate growth prospects for the fourth terminal. At the moment, however, we are busy with the third container terminal," said Mr Hans-Ole Madsen, Managing Director of Maersk India Pvt Ltd.

Maersk India and Concor have formed a joint venture christened Gateway Terminals Ltd, which is setting up the third box terminal at the port, with a capacity to handle one million TEUs of containers. "We are supposed to complete the project within 24 months. We will be investing about Rs 800 crore in the project," Mr Madsen told reporters, at the sidelines of the World Maritime Day celebrations held at the SCI Auditorium here on Thursday.

Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), which plans to foray into terminal operations, has already announced that it would be participating in the bidding process for the fourth terminal, in association with a reputed global terminal operator.

On Maersk's plans for Pipavav port, he said the Gujarat Pipavav Port Ltd, in which Maersk has 12.5 per cent stake, was in the process of restructuring. After the restructuring, which will be completed by December end, Maersk will be having a bigger stake.

Not willing to disclose what Maersk's stake would be after the restructuring, Mr Madsen, however, said there were plans to pump in $ 200 million to develop the port into a multi-purpose hub port, with a full-fledged container terminal having a capacity of one million TEUs, LPG and chemical terminals in a phased manner.