Breakwater bids submitted for new megaport

Four major contracting consortia have entered the race to construct a 10.14-kilometer breakwater for India’s Vadhvan Port, a $7.4 billion deep-water facility under development on Maharashtra’s west coast, approximately 150 kilometers north of Mumbai.

The breakwater package, valued at an estimated $597 million according to ETInfra, forms a critical component of the public-private partnership scheme that will establish India’s newest container megaport on reclaimed land.

Major players submit preliminary bids

Larsen & Toubro has partnered with Athens and Netherlands-based EPC contractor Archirodon Group NV for its bid submission. Afcons Infrastructure, part of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, is pursuing the contract independently.

Cemindia Projects has formed a joint venture with NMDC Dredging & Marine, the marine division of Abu Dhabi’s NMDC Group, while Hindustan Construction Projects has aligned with Hyderabad-based Vishwa Samudra Engineering, ETInfra reports.

Strategic infrastructure development

Vadhvan Port will capitalize on the site’s natural 20-meter draft, featuring nine container terminals across 18 berths and 9 kilometers of quay wall. Projected capacity stands at 23.5 million TEU annually by 2035.

The facility will become Maharashtra’s third major container gateway alongside Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Sheva), both constrained by surrounding urban development.

Reclamation works advance separately

Delivery entity Vadhvan Port Project Ltd has issued separate tender documentation for land reclamation works that will create 1,207 hectares of port infrastructure area, according to ETInfra.

The breakwater structure will provide essential protection for the reclaimed land development, enabling construction of terminal facilities in the deep-water location.