The contract with JNPT has a total value of approximately €175m (£138.6m). The dredging work will start in September 2012 and is expected to take two years to complete.
The expansion comprises the deepening and widening of the 33.5km-long access channel, the port basins and turning basins. In total, approximately 67 million cubic metres of sand, silt, clay and rock will be removed. Jumbo and medium sized trailing suction hopper dredgers will be used in combination with a jumbo cutter suction dredger and a large backhoe.
Jawaharlal Nehru Port is the largest container port in the country with an annual handling capacity of 4.3 million TEU. This volume represents more than 50% of the total quantity of containers that are handled by Indian ports. By deepening the port from the current 11.5m to over 14m, it will be possible to receive larger types of container vessels and as a result, according to the port operator, the annual capacity will increase to approximately 10 million TEU.
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