| Vadhavan Transhipment Port | |
| Pushpin Map: | India Maharashtra |
| Country: | India |
| Location: | Vandhavan, Palghar, Maharashtra |
| Coordinates: | 19.93°N 111.6°W |
| Operated: | Vadhavan Port Project Limited (VPPL), Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority |
| Owner: | Government of India and Government of Maharashtra |
| Type: | Deep-sea port |
| Blankstatstitle1: | Length of navigational channel |
| Blankstatstitle2: | wide of navigational channel |
| Draft Depth: | 16.5m (54.1feet) |
Vadhavan Transhipment Port is a proposed deep sea port at Vadhavan in Palghar district of Maharashtra. The port will be built on coast of the Arabian Sea; the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) is responsible for the construction of the port.[1] After the construction of the port, it will be one of the deepest sea ports in India after Vizhinjam International Seaport Thiruvananthapuram, and will have more draft depth than Port of Mumbai and Jawaharlal Nehru Port. It is estimated that the construction of the port will cost of .[2] Vadhavan will be constructed by Vadhavan Port Project Limited, a special purpose vehicle. Jawaharlal Nehru Port will have a 74 percent stake in the project and Maharashtra Maritime Board will have 26 percent in a public private partnership.[3] [4]
The port will consist of an artificial harbour, and its berths along with the inner navigable channel will be surrounded by breakwater, while the outer navigable channel will be open sea. Cargo will be handled through container berths, liquid berths, ro-ro berths and multipurpose cargo berths within harbour. From the Vadhaban Point, towards the sea, a distance of 10km (10miles) has a natural depth of 20m (70feet), making it possible to handle large ships in the port. The harbour and wharf will have depths of 17.5m (57.4feet) and 19.5m (64feet) respectively, and will be able to accommodate panamax and capsize vessels. The port's draft a maximum of 16.5m (54.1feet) with tidal support, which will allow 24,000 container ships to enter; but the draft without tide is 14.5m (47.6feet). A 4 km long navigable channel, with a width of 732 m, will be used for the movement of ships in the harbour of the port.
The harbour of Vadhavan port is planned as an artificial harbour, which will be protected by breakwaters. The prescribed water depth for container wharves is 19.5m (64feet) CD; the harbour basin and maneuvering basin will have a depth of 17.5m (57.4feet) CD. The harbour will allow large container ships of 233,000 DWT to enter the port. The land required for the construction of cargo handling infrastructure will be reclaimed from the sea by filling with silt.
| Condition and value of depth | Channels | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Condition | Value | Approach channel | Inner channel |
| Natural depth | Seabed (below CD) | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) |
| Dredged | 20m (70feet) | 17.5m (57.4feet) | |
| Tidal depth | Minimum (with minimum tidal advantage) | 22m (72feet) | 19.5m (64feet) |
| Maximum (with HHWS) | 24.7m (81feet) | 22.2m (72.8feet) | |
A 4km (02miles) long approach channel outside breakwater will be connect the 17.5m (57.4feet) CD deep water body of Arabian sea to the harbour for ships movment. The approach channel has a desing depth of 20m (70feet) and a minimum width of 732m (2,402feet), but the harbor depth of 17.5m (57.4feet) CD (1st phase) will allow vessels of 14.5m (47.6feet) draft to enter and exit the harbour without tidal support. However, the mean sea level (MSL) observed in the port area is 2.8m (09.2feet), which increases the depth of the approach channel and harbour. The depth of the inner channel and manoeuvring area will be more than 19.5m (64feet) with minimum tidal advantage; vessels with a draft of 16.5m (54.1feet) are capable of navigating in this water depth.
Initial plans to build the port include four container terminals in the first phase; each terminal consists of 2 berths with a 1000m (3,000feet) long wharf. The deck height of the wharves is 7.6m (24.9feet) above the chart datum or mean lower low water (MLLW). Each berth of these terminals will have facilities for handling vessels with a maximum length of 400m (1,300feet) and a beam of 61m (200feet).