India: Committee Approves Dredging of Mumbai Harbour and JN Port Channel

The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure today approved the project of deepening and widening of Mumbai Harbour Channel and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Channel (Phase-I) of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) at an estimated cost of Rs.1571.60 crore.

Direct dredging cost of the project are Rs.1398.97 crore (including service tax 10.3%), Rs.42.07 crore towards other related items like idle time charges of dredgers, navigational aids, administrative expenditure and preliminary expenses of executing agency, modification of Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) and provision of Environmental Management Plan (EMP), contingency of Rs.12.68 crore 1% and Interest During Construction (IDC) of Rs.117.88 crore.

The Mumbai Harbour Channel and JN Port Channel will be deepened and widened to handle vessels upto capacity of 6000 Twenty-feet Equivalent units (TEUs) and upto draught of 14 meters by using the tidal window. The channel length will be increased from existing 29 km to 33.54 km to meet the natural water depth of 14 meters at sea. Further, the width of the channel will also be increased so as to maintain a minimum width of 370 meters from the present dimension of 325 meters in the straight reach. Completion period of the work is 25 months including mobilization period after awarding of work.

The key benefits/results on implementation of the project are as follows:

- Handling bigger size vessels upto a draught of 14 meters by using tidal window.

- Attracting international container vessels and enabling JN Port to develop as Hub Port on west coast.

- Increase in future traffic

- Savings in ship waiting cost and ocean freight costs per TEU due to larger volumes

- Avoiding costly and time consuming feedering operation

- Optimum utilisation of capacity

- Faster turnaround of larger vessels

- Incremental regional economic development and spin-off economic benefits including employment generation.