Great Nicobar Project to be Game-Changer for India's Maritime Trade: Andaman Lt Guv

Joshi said the project will now move into the implementation phase, with its flagship component – the International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) – likely to contribute significantly to the country’s maritime trade.

“In the first phase, the terminal is expected to handle around 6 million TEUs at an estimated cost of Rs 20,000 crore, with completion targeted within three years of commencement. In the final phase, capacity could scale up to 21 million TEUs, making it one of the largest container ports not only in India, but potentially across the Indo-Pacific,” he told PTI.

TEU is the standardised unit of measurement for cargo capacity of container ships and the throughput of ports.

Highlighting the strategic location of Great Nicobar near the Malacca Strait, Joshi said the port could emerge as a dominant transhipment hub in global shipping routes.

The project, to be executed under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, seeks to balance port-led growth with calibrated environmental safeguards and protection of indigenous communities, officials said.

The Great Nicobar Island project, however, has sparked environmental concerns from some quarters, with the Congress claiming that it would cause ecological havoc and lead to large-scale destruction of coral colonies.

Alongside the port, a green-field international airport is also planned, with at least one runway expected to be operational within three years. Additionally, the existing runway at INS Baaz (naval air station in Campbell Bay) is being extended to nearly three km to accommodate large aircraft, the officials said.

Joshi said these initiatives would significantly contribute to India’s broader vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by enhancing the Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ economic and strategic importance.

He also outlined parallel initiatives across the island chain, including agreements with Cochin Shipyard Ltd for skill development and infrastructure upgradation to boost ship repair capabilities.

Further, projects such as the ship-to-ship transhipment terminal at Port Meadows (off Swaraj Dweep earlier known as Havelock Islands), and a proposed deep-water multipurpose port at Atlanta Bay near Diglipur, are expected to complement the Great Nicobar project, Joshi said.

“With these developments, shipping activity in the Andaman seas is expected to rise significantly over the next five years, enabling the region to evolve initially as a ship repair hub and eventually as a shipbuilding centre,” he asserted.

Multiple studies are underway and the projects will be rolled out in phases in the coming years, the officials added.