The Hindu : Business : Design consultants appointed for work on container terminal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 13, 2006

Business

Business

Design consultants appointed for work on container terminal

Staff Reporter

Royal Haskoning will spend the next six months evaluating the site

KOCHI: Royal Haskoning has been appointed as design and supervision consultants for DP World's international container transhipment terminal (ICTT) in Kochi. It marks the initial step of the pre-construction activities at the project at Vallarpadam.

As consultants to DP World, a global port operator, and its joint venture partner in the project, Cochin Port, Royal Haskoning will spend the next six months evaluating the site and designing the ICTT, after which a contractor will be appointed to begin construction on the first phase of the terminal.

At the ICTT, the India Gateway terminal will be India's largest single operator terminal and will establish Kochi as a key centre in the shipping world. The first phase of ICTT project involves the building of 600 metres of quay, an on-dock railhead and cranes to handle large vessels. The first phase is to be completed in the first quarter of 2009 and DP World will be investing $200 million, according to a press release.

DP World currently operates the Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal (RGCT) in Kochi, and will subsequently migrate its operations to the new ICTT at Vallarpadam. In February 2005, DP World was granted a 38-year concession for the exclusive operation and management of the site.

Total cost at $500 m

Vallarpadam will be expanded to 1.8 km. of quay eventually and at least 16 quay cranes capable of handling the largest vessels afloat. The total cost of the project is estimated at $500 million and will be funded by DPW through non-recourse debt funding. The debt is provided by a consortium of banks led by Infrastructure Development Fund Company (IDFC) set up to provide growth capital for infrastructure projects in India, the press release added.

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