Essar Ports and Shapoorji Pallonji are among the corporate entities that have evinced interest in developing a riverine port planned in Odisha.
“The pre-bid conference is designed to address the queries of prospective bidders. The riverine port can either be captive or commercial, depending on the developer. This port has a lot of potential, despite being planned in the vicinity of the Paradip port, which mostly handles bulk cargo”, said a source close to the development.
The riverine port project is planned on the Mahanadi river at Akhadasali village in the Kendrapada district. It will be based on a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The port’s cargo potential is pegged at 44 million tonne per annum (mtpa). However, in the first phase capacity would stand at 18 mtpa.