L&T, Afcons, Cemindia, and HCC Compete for Vadhvan Port Breakwater Contract.

Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (L&T), Afcons Infrastructure Ltd., Cemindia Projects Ltd., and Hindustan Construction Company Ltd. (HCC) have submitted initial bids for the construction of a 10.14 km-long breakwater-set to be the longest for an Indian port-estimated to cost about ₹5,300 crore for the upcoming Vadhvan Port in Maharashtra.

A breakwater is a coastal structure designed to shield a harbour from strong waves and ensure safe port operations.

According to sources, L&T has placed its bid jointly with Archirodon Group NV, a global EPC contractor based in Athens and the Netherlands. Cemindia Projects, promoted by Renew Exim DMCC (part of the Adani Group), has partnered with NMDC Dredging & Marine, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi’s NMDC Group P.J.S.C. HCC has teamed up with Hyderabad-based Vishwa Samudra Engineering, while Afcons Infrastructure, part of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, has bid independently.

The breakwater construction is a crucial component of the Vadhvan Port, which is being developed near Dahanu in Maharashtra’s Palghar district. The ₹76,220 crore port project is being executed by Vadhvan Port Project Ltd., a joint venture between the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (holding 74 per cent) and the Maharashtra Maritime Board (holding 26 per cent). The port is expected to handle 298 million tonnes of cargo annually, including 23.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), making it India’s largest public port once completed.

Vadhvan Port Project Ltd. has also invited global bids for dredging, reclamation, and offshore protection bund construction worth ₹19,238.57 crore under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM). This marks the first instance of a dredging and reclamation project for a new port in India being executed under the PPP-HAM framework.

The dredging and reclamation works will be carried out over 1,207 hectares in two phases, with the first phase valued at ₹14,301.35 crore and the second at ₹4,937.23 crore. Payments will follow a 45:55 structure—45 per cent upfront from Vadhvan Port Project Ltd. and 55 per cent by the PPP concessionaire—across a 15-year concession, including five years for construction and ten years for operation and maintenance. The O&M cost for the 10-year period has been pegged at ₹171.79 crore. The bidder quoting the lowest price will be awarded the project.

In December 2024, Cemindia Projects (formerly ITD Cementation India Ltd.) secured a ₹1,648 crore EPC contract for nearshore reclamation and shore protection works at the same site, with construction having commenced recently.

Once completed, Vadhvan Port will boast nine container terminals spanning 9,000 metres, over 100 quay-side gantry cranes capable of handling ships exceeding 350 metres in length, liquid cargo berths, Ro-Ro facilities, general cargo berths, a common railyard, tank farms, and extensive storage areas.