Mitsubishi scouts for deep sea port to build car terminal

Mumbai: Japanese auto major, Mitsubishi Motors is planning to set up a car terminal with an estimated investment of Rs. 30,000-million. The company is in search of a deep sea port in the Gujarat, and have had completed three rounds of discussion with the State Government, according to sources.

Mitsubishi is in talks with the Gujarat government’s port administration body, the Gujarat Maritime Board, for identifying the facility and is looking at the Vansi-Borsi Port and the Maroli Port.

Sources close to the development said the company was looking at Maroli Port and was demanding a channel depth of 11.5 metres.

The car terminal will be designed to handle import and export from big car-carrying ships. The terminal will have the capacity to ship 400,000 vehicles a year.

It is also exploring options of setting up exclusive terminals at existing ports such as Mundra, Pipavav, Okha or Kandla, they said. The proposed terminal will be linked to the north-south dedicated rail freight corridor.

Mitsubishi Motors has a collaboration with Hindustan Motors for producing its Lancer and Pajero range of cars at the latter’s Thiruvallur plant in Chennai.

At present, in the absence of an exclusive car terminal, the Mumbai port, Nhava Sheva, Chennai and Kandla offer vehicle-handling services from their bulk cargo terminals.