Nine parties have expressed their interest to convert Chennai Port's existing three coal berths at Jawahar Dock (East) into a container terminal. Five parties of the nine have expressed keen interest to develop container terminal and four parties for modernising the terminal. The pre-bid meeting along with site inspection was held recently to elicit response from the prospective clients, say media reports.
The interested bidders raised questions about the project as they have two more weeks to submit their Request for Qualification documents. As per the proposal, the successful bidder will be offered 655 metre of quay length to accommodate two berths and 20 hectares for backup and storage facilities. The total cost of the project is pegged at Rs 475 crore.
Exporters have welcomed the Chennai port's move to go in for a mid-size terminal.