India Ports Global orders 14 gantry cranes for Chabahar

India Ports Global Pvt Ltd has ordered 14 rubber-tyred gantry cranes, or RTGCs, for about $18 million from Finnish crane-maker Cargotec OYJ for use at the Chabahar port in Iran.

“Cargotec emerged the lowest bidder and we have signed the contract,” Arun Kumar Gupta, Managing Director, India Ports Global, told BusinessLine.

10-year lease

India Ports Global, a 60:40 joint venture between Jawaharlal Port Trust and Deendayal Port Trust (previously Kandla Port Trust), was set up by the government to make strategic investments in ports overseas. India Ports Global and Aria Banader Iranian Port signed a deal in May 2016 to equip and operate the container and multi-purpose terminals at Shahid Beheshti — Chabahar Port Phase-I with capital investment of $85.21 million and annual revenue expenditure of $22.95 million on a 10-year lease.

India Ports Global had earlier signed a $29.8-million deal with Chinese port-crane-maker Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co Ltd (ZPMC) for four rail mounted quay cranes (RMQCs).

“These two are the most critical equipment for the port. We wanted to first tackle those equipment whose lead time for delivery are the longest,” Gupta said.

Deadlines

The four rail-mounted quay cranes will be delivered in 16-18 months while the rubber-tyred gantry cranes will be supplied in 12-14 months.

IGPL has also floated bids for buying two mobile harbour cranes (MHC) of 140 tonnes and four MHC of 100 tonnes and 32 tractor trailers.

The Chabahar port project will be the first overseas venture for the Indian state-owned ports. Located in the Sistan-Baluchistan Province on Iran’s south-eastern coast (outside Persian Gulf), Chabahar port is of great strategic importance for development of regional maritime transit traffic to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

The first phase development of Chabahar port will have a container terminal with two berths of 640-metre quay length and a depth of 16 metres and a multi-purpose terminal with a quay length of 600 metres and draft of 14 metres. The port has a total back-up area of 70 hectares.