Eleven companies, including four foreign firms, have submitted responses to the Requests for Qualification (RFQ) launched in June 2013, to develop the Rs.1,270-crore (US$220 million) container terminal at Ennore Port.

According to local sources, these proposals will be evaluated by Ennore Port authorities and the names of short-listed firms announced within the next two weeks. Find below the list of candidates:

1. Hindustan Ports,
2. Adani Port and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ),
3. Gammon Infrastructure Projects,
4. Essar Ports,
5. Sterlite Ports,
6. Consortium of Concast Infratech Limited & Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd,
7. Consortium of Bollore Africa Logistics & Megalift Material Handling,
8. L&T IDPL,
9. APM Terminals B.V.,
10. Consortium of IMC-SEW and
11. PSA Chennai Investments Pte Ltd

The selected firm has to build the port terminal on design, build, finance, operate and transfer basis for a concession period of 30 years.

The terminal will have a capacity to handle annually 1.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units of containers.

Ennore Port is located on the Coromandel Coast about 24 km north of Chennai Port, Chennai. It is the 12th major port of India, and the first port in India which is a public company.