Center approves redevelopment of berths at New Mangalore Port to increase maritime efficiency!

The Central Government has approved the proposal of New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) under which Berth No. 9 at New Mangalore Port will be redeveloped. This work will be done on DBFOT basis under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. This information was given on Monday.

According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the project was approved on 25 March 2026. This step is considered a major effort towards strengthening India’s port infrastructure and improving maritime logistics.

The project, costing around Rs 438.29 crore, will be developed by a private company, which will be selected through an open tender process.

The total capacity of this project will be 10.90 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). Also, the company handling the project will guarantee to handle at least 7.63 MTPA of cargo by the fifth year. The construction work will take about 2 years to complete, while the duration of the entire project will be 30 years.

Under this scheme, berth number 9 will be completely modernized by removing the old structure. Liquid bulk cargo like crude oil, petroleum products (POL) and LPG will be handled here.

According to the ministry, under this modernization, the depth (draft) of the berth will be increased from the existing 10.5 meters to 14 meters and a provision will also be made to increase it to 19.8 meters in future. This will allow easy movement of large ships up to 2 lakh DWT at the port, which also includes Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGC).

Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that this project is an example of rapid modernization of the country’s maritime infrastructure under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said that through this project, modern facilities will be developed by removing old infrastructure, which will increase the capacity of the port and India will be able to maintain its strong position in global maritime trade.

New modern structures will be built in place of approximately 50 year old structures, whose lifespan will be approximately 50 years. This will ensure stable and sustainable operation over a long period of time.

With the new capacity the port will be able to meet the growing energy needs in the region. Movement of larger ships will reduce logistics costs and also increase the competitiveness of the port.