South Korean liner operator HMM is to help develop and operate an ambitious container port project on the west coast of India.
The carrier collaborated on developing the Vadhvan facility, about 100 km (62 miles) to the north of Mumbai.
The move has been formalised through a memorandum of understanding that the Asian line has signed with the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority.
The Vadhvan port is part of a large-scale project the Indian government hopes will become one of the world’s top 10 container ports by 2040.
It will comprise nine container terminals and handle 23m teu annually.
With a natural depth of 20 metres, the port will be deeper than the 15.5 metres of Nhava Sheva, the second-largest port in India.
That will be deep enough to handle HMM’s 24,000-teu vessels, as well as provide strong connectivity to India’s inland logistics network, the company said.
An HMM spokesperson said: “We hope this partnership leads to strong cooperation for port development.
“We will continue investing in terminals to grow our integrated logistics business, a key part of our mid to long-term strategy.”
The Indian market is of growing importance to HMM and its Premier Alliance partners Ocean Network Express and Yang Ming Marine Transport.
The partners will inaugurate a new service between India and North Europe from 5 February with the sailing of the 6,350-teu Hyundai Oakland (built 2009) from Karachi.
Other subcontinent services include the Far East-India Mediterranean service where HMM operates with 14 ships up to 11,000 teu, and the India-America Express service where the South Korean carrier takes slots from ONE.
