Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar announced on Monday that the Vadhvan port in the Palghar district is set to become operational by 2030.
While presenting the state’s annual budget, Pawar, who also serves as the finance minister of state, stated, “Vadhvan port in Palghar will be operational by 2030.” He also mentioned that a third airport for Mumbai is proposed and that a station for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train will be located near Vadhvan port.
The upcoming mega port is estimated to cost ₹76,220 crore and is being constructed by Vadhvan Port Project Limited (VPPL), a joint venture between the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), with shareholdings of 74% and 26%, respectively.
This deep-water port, approved by the Union Cabinet on June 19, is the largest of its kind in India and is part of the Centre’s ambitious Sagarmala programme, which aims to enhance the country’s logistics with a focus on the maritime sector. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for this project on August 30, 2024.
Umesh Sharad Wagh, Chairman of the JNPA, said that Vadhvan greenfield port could rank among the top 10 ports in the world, calling it a “game changer” for both the country and the region.
The port is generating significant global interest and is expected to create 1.2 million jobs once it becomes operational, according to Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who made the announcement on September 4. “This greenfield mega container port on India’s west coast, developed with an estimated investment of $10 billion, is set to create over 1.2 million jobs and has already attracted substantial global interest,” Sonowal said.
The project is regarded as transformative for India’s export-import (EXIM) trade. Wagh emphasized its importance, particularly since the western and northern regions handle 75% of India’s container trade. Existing ports like Mundra and JNPA are operating at 90% capacity, managing 65% of EXIM trade, which means India urgently requires additional capacity to meet rising demand. “This port will address that need,” he added, highlighting that all necessary clearances have been secured.
Located 10 kilometers offshore, the deep-draft port, which has a depth of 20 meters, requires no land acquisition or displacement and poses no environmental harm, as it avoids mangrove areas entirely.
The National Highways Authority will handle the peripheral works, while the port itself is being built on 1,448 hectares of reclaimed sea land and will feature a 10.14 km offshore breakwater.
The port will include nine container terminals, each 1,000 meters long, four multipurpose berths, four liquid cargo berths, a roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) berth, and a Coast Guard berth, with an annual capacity of 298 million metric tons, including 23.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) for containers.
Wagh explained that the port will save $100 per vessel, amounting to a 25% cost reduction , by eliminating the need for transshipment through foreign hubs like Jebel Ali, Colombo, and Singapore. As a transshipment hub, it will manage 100% of western seaboard cargo and serve neighboring countries, thereby reducing logistics costs by 25% for northern and western regions. Additionally, larger vessels will benefit from a 10% reduction in costs and a route that is 150 kilometers shorter to the northern hinterland. Of the ₹76,000 crore project cost, a joint venture will invest ₹30,000 crore, with the remainder funded through public-private partnerships.
“This port will transform India’s trade logistics,” Wagh concluded.
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