The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority is set to expand capacity at its Kolkata Dock System for the first time in decades, awarding a contract to Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Infrastructure to build an outer terminal in a move aimed at boosting cargo handling and easing congestion at the riverine port.

The ₹832.25-crore contract, the largest project ever awarded under a public-private partnership (PPP) framework by SMPA, will also include modernisation of five berths at
Netaji Subhash Dock (NSD), with installation of latest equipment leading to productivity gains.

“This is the largest PPP awarded by the port either in Calcutta or Haldia. When the two berths at the outer terminal is completed, the cargo handling capacity of KDS will go up by 3.92 million tonnes a year,” a senior SMPA official told The Telegraph.

The outer terminal is going to be built outside the existing lock gate system, allowing liberal vessel movement. Port sources said the location chosen for the two berths have natural water depth of 7.5 metres.

The modernisation of NSD dock will see replacement of existing mobile harbour cranes with RMQC — rail mounted quay crane. These massive ship-to-shore gantry cranes are used to load and unload shipping containers between cargo ships and the dock.

India’s top government sector port JNPA in Mumbai mainly operates with RMQCs, which offer better productivity, leading to cost advantage to trade.

JSW Infra said the development is underpinned by strong demand fundamentals benefiting from a well-established hinterland and a high concentration of cargo originating from the Calcutta metropolitan region.

Both the projects are expected to address existing capacity constraints at NSD, improve berth productivity through mechanisation, and enhance vessel turnaround times, India’s second-largest private commercial port operator said in a statement.

Under the 30-year concession agreement, the project will be executed in two phases and is expected to create a total capacity of approximately 0.93 million TEUs.

The new award builds on the company’s earlier LoA for the reconstruction of berth 8 and mechanisation of berths 7 and 8 at NSD, Calcutta (0.45 million TEUs), with interim operations expected to commence shortly.

Upon completion, JSW Infra’s combined container handling capacity at the KDS is expected to scale up to approximately 1.4 million TEUs.

The award comes days after the BJP-led Bengal government revived a deep-sea port in West Midnapore, underscoring the emphasis on infrastructure development under the new political dispensation.