Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) announced on Friday that it has secured a five-year Operation and Maintenance (O&M) contract for the container facility at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata. APSEZ is required to deploy cargo handling equipment within seven months from the letter of acceptance (LOA) date, according to a company statement.
"APSEZ won the five-year O&M contract through a competitive bidding process, which mandates the successful bidder to deploy cargo handling equipment within seven months from the LOA date," the statement said.
APSEZ's presence at the dock is expected to enhance connectivity between the terminal and its container ports, particularly with the transhipment hubs at Vizhinjam and Colombo, which are scheduled for commissioning this year.
APSEZ Whole-Time Director and CEO Ashwani Gupta stated, "The award of the O&M contract for container handling facilities at Netaji Subhas Dock to APSEZ underlines our commitment to developing ports and logistics infrastructure across the country and the potential we see in West Bengal. We will bring our experience of over two decades of efficiently managing various container terminals within India and outside, benefiting customers and the people of the state."
Netaji Subhas Dock, the largest container terminal on the eastern coast of India, handled approximately 0.63 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) in FY 2023-24. It serves a vast hinterland encompassing West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, the northeastern hill states, and the landlocked neighbouring countries of Nepal and Bhutan.