“We’re thrilled to receive the LOI
for the operations and maintenance of a container terminal at the prestigious
Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata. Leveraging decades of experience managing
ports in India & abroad, we will leave no stone unturned to boost
efficiency. This O&M contract will
also now enable us to serve our customers in West Bengal region“, said Karan
Adani the MD of Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd in a post.
The Adani Group company has won a five year
O&M contract through a competitive bidding process. With this, the
successful bidder has to deploy cargo handling equipment within seven months
from the letter of acceptance (LOA) date, the company said in a stock exchange
filing.
The
Kolkata port is the nominated port for the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol on Inland
Water Transit and Trade route.
Netaji Subhas Dock has regular liner service calls from the hub ports of
Singapore, Port Kelang and Colombo.
“The presence of APSEZ at the dock is likely to
improve connectivity between the terminal and its container ports, particularly
with the transshipment hubs at Vizhinjam and Colombo that are targeted for
commissioning during the year,” it said.
Netaji
Subhas Dock is touted to be the largest container terminal on the eastern coast
of India. It handled around 0.63 million TEUs in
FY2023-24, serving a vast hinterland encompassing West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar
Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, the northeastern hill states and the landlocked
neighbouring countries of Nepal and Bhutan.
“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,” said Ashwani Gupta, Whole-Time Director
and CEO at APSEZ.
On Friday, shares of Adani Ports were trading
at ₹1,375, up 1.63% on the NSE. The stock has risen over 30% so far this
year.