DP World and JSW Infra among bidders for new VOC Port terminal

Several major companies, including DP World’s Indian unit Hindustan Ports, JSW Infrastructure, Essar Ports, and Vedanta Group, have submitted bids to develop a new container terminal at the VO Chidambaranar (VOC) Port in Tamil Nadu. The project, offered under a public-private partnership model, involves upgrading Berth No. 7 at an estimated cost of ₹517.19 crore. The terminal is expected to have an annual capacity of 4.2 lakh TEUs and is projected to begin operations by December 2029.

This expansion comes as container traffic at VOC Port is projected to reach 2.56 million TEUs by March 2030. The successful bidder will be selected based on the highest royalty offered per TEU to the port authority. The private operator will be responsible for berth strengthening and installing modern equipment, such as quay cranes and electric gantry cranes.

Separately, DP World CEO Yuvraj Narayan has highlighted structural challenges within India’s maritime logistics sector. He noted that container terminal capacity in India is currently being utilized at below 60%, significantly lower than the 95% utilization seen in the company’s mature global ports. Narayan suggested that the primary issue is not a lack of terminal capacity, but rather the difficulty of efficiently connecting ports to the cargo-generating hinterland.