India positions Nicobar as a rival port to Colombo
India is planning to develop a transhipment port at Great Nicobar Island in the Bay of Bengal with an investment of Rs10,000 crore ($1.33bn).
The Indian prime minister Narendra Modi announced the plan as he inaugurated the first undersea optical fiber project to provide high speed internet to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Modi said Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been chosen as a hub of port-led development as it is in a competitive location and central to the government’s focus to promote trade and simplify maritime logistics. According to Modi, legal bottlenecks for the project are also being removed.
The transhipment port will provide an alternative to Colombo, which is currently the major transhipment hub in the region.
For a change one good move by Indian Govt after declining reauest of Shipping companies in mid 80s to develope facilities in Andeman n Nicobar when they started moving out of Hongkong. It should also be made a free port like Singapore with minimum govt. interference, with bunkering and storing facilities plus decongesting traffic n load of Singapore.
Remember the Author is Chinese and is trying to create a turf between India and Sri lanka