Kamarajar Port Limited (KPL) on Thursday issued a tender for the development of its second container terminal at an estimated project cost of ₹4,288 crore under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
The terminal will be developed on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis with a concession period of 40 years. The project is aimed at meeting growing export-import (EXIM) and transshipment demand and strengthening Kamarajar Port’s position as a container-handling hub.
The proposed terminal will have a total capacity of 2 million TEUs per annum, to be developed in two phases. Phase I, estimated at ₹2,429 crore, will provide 1.1 million TEUs of capacity, while Phase II will add 0.9 million TEUs at an estimated cost of ₹1,858.94 crore.
The project involves construction of a 900-metre continuous quay, with 500 metres planned in Phase I and the remaining 400 metres in Phase II. The facility will be designed to handle Ultra Large Container Carriers of up to 24,346 TEUs.
The selected concessionaire will undertake the design, engineering, financing, procurement, construction, operation and maintenance of the terminal. The scope includes pile berths, container stack yards, internal roads, administrative buildings, a customs gate complex and utility infrastructure.
The terminal will also be equipped with Ship-to-Shore gantry cranes, electric Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes, Rail Mounted Gantry Cranes, reach stackers and tractor-trailers to achieve the targeted throughput.
Kamarajar Port, located about 24 km north of Chennai Port, currently has a cargo handling capacity of 58.44 million tonnes across nine operational berths. It handled 49.08 million tonnes during FY2025-26.
The port has connectivity to major highways including NH16, NH32 and NH48, besides rail connectivity through Attipattu and Attipattu Pudunagar stations on the Chennai–Gudur section of Southern Railway.
The project land will be provided on an as-is-where-is basis. At the end of the 40-year concession period, the developed terminal and associated assets will be transferred back to Kamarajar Port, the tender document says.
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