<p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">Kamarajar Port Limited has moved to the financial bid opening stage for its second container terminal, a ₹4,288-crore public-private partnership project that will add 2 million TEUs of annual container handling capacity to India's east coast . The bid opening on 11 November 2026 follows a tender process that began in August 2026 and a pre-bid meeting in September, with the project structured on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer basis under a 40-year concession period </span><span class="">.</span><span class="_5f9bba8" data-citation-group="1" style="margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px;"><a href="https://www.maritimegateway.com/kamarajar-port-issues-rs-4288-crore-tender-for-second-container-terminal/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="2" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a></span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The tender's competitive dynamics have been shaped by a policy decision that excluded the port's existing terminal operator. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, which operates the current container terminal at Kamarajar through Adani Ennore Container Terminal Private Limited, was barred from bidding under the Ministry of Shipping's 2010 policy preventing private sector monopoly at major ports </span><span class="">. The policy states that if there is only one private terminal operator at a port for a specific cargo, that operator and its associates cannot bid for the next terminal handling the same cargo at the same port. MSC, the world's largest container line, was also excluded because it holds a 49% stake in Adani Ennore Container Terminal through its terminal operating arm </span><span class="">.</span><span class="_5f9bba8" data-citation-group="2" style="margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px;"><a href="https://infra.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/ports-shipping/kamarajar-ports-second-box-terminal-race-opens-up-with-adani-out-under-monopoly-rule/133602394?utm_source=Mailer&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=etinfra_news_2026-08-29&amp;dt=2026-08-29" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="6" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a></span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The exclusion of Adani and MSC leaves the field open to other terminal operators and infrastructure developers, and the financial bid opening will reveal which consortia have submitted proposals and at what royalty per TEU. The second terminal will be awarded to the bidder quoting the highest royalty, and this is the first instance of a major Indian port awarding a 40-year concession, departing from the 30-year period used previously </span><span class="">. The extended tenure is intended to give the concessionaire a longer horizon to recover the substantial capital investment required.</span><span class="_5f9bba8" data-citation-group="4" style="margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px;"><a href="https://infra.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/ports-shipping/kamarajar-ports-second-box-terminal-race-opens-up-with-adani-out-under-monopoly-rule/133602394?utm_source=Mailer&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=etinfra_news_2026-08-29&amp;dt=2026-08-29" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="6" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a></span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The project's technical specifications are designed for the largest vessels in the global fleet. The terminal will have a 900-metre continuous quay, with 500 metres built in Phase I and 400 metres in Phase II, and it will be capable of handling ultra-large container carriers of up to 24,000 TEUs with a maximum length overall of 400 metres </span><span class="">. The port has an operational draft of 18 metres following a ₹4.4 billion capital dredging programme, which allows it to accommodate these vessels directly </span><span class="">.</span><span class="_5f9bba8" data-citation-group="5" style="margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px;"><a href="https://www.maritimegateway.com/kamarajar-port-issues-rs-4288-crore-tender-for-second-container-terminal/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="2" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/kamarajar-port-issues-tender-for-4288-crore-second-container-terminal/article71370662.ece#1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="8" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a></span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">Kamarajar Port's existing container terminal, operated by Adani Ennore Container Terminal, has a design capacity of 1.4 million TEUs per year, with its first phase entering commercial operation in FY2017-18 . The port handled 49.08 million tonnes of cargo in the year ended March 2026 and recorded a profit after tax of ₹5.96 billion </span><span class="">. The second terminal is intended to meet growing EXIM and transshipment demand and to strengthen Kamarajar's position as a container-handling hub, in alignment with the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 </span><span class="">.</span><span class="_5f9bba8" data-citation-group="7" style="margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px;"><a href="https://www.maritimegateway.com/kamarajar-port-issues-rs-4288-crore-tender-for-second-container-terminal/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="2" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/kamarajar-port-issues-tender-for-4288-crore-second-container-terminal/article71370662.ece#1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="8" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a></span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">For India's port sector, the Kamarajar tender is significant because it tests whether the PPP model can deliver container capacity at scale without the participation of the country's largest private port operator. The monopoly policy that excluded Adani and MSC is intended to ensure competition, but it also narrows the pool of bidders with deep container terminal expertise. The outcome of the financial bid opening will indicate whether other qualified operators see the project as commercially viable at the royalty levels the port authority expects.</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">Looking ahead, the key milestone is the evaluation of the financial bids and the award of the concession. The project's success will depend on whether the selected bidder can deliver the terminal on schedule and whether the 2 million TEU capacity materialises as projected. For Kamarajar Port, the second terminal represents a substantial expansion of its container capability and a bet that east coast container demand will continue to grow. For India's port sector, it is another test of the PPP framework's ability to attract capital and expertise to major port projects under the government's competition policies.</span></p>