TEHRAN, IRNA – India has selected an Iranian company, Kaveh Port and MarineServices, for running the operations for 18 months till it selects a firmto manage and maintain the facility for long term, according to HindustanTimes quoted by Islamic Republic News Agency.
Notwithstanding the plans by the United States to impose fresh sanctions onIran nuclear deal, India is all set to begin interim operations in thestrategically important Chabahar port project next week, shipping ministryofficials familiar with the development said.
India has selected an Iranian company, Kaveh Port and Marine Services, forrunning the operations for 18 months till it selects a firm to manage andmaintain the facility for long term. As per the memorandum of understandingsigned between India and Iran in May 2016, India would equip and operatetwo terminals in Chabahar port Phase-I with a capital investment of $85.21million and annual revenue expenditure of $22.95 million on a 10-year lease.
“We have been able to enter Chabahar port for interim operations, whichwill start from June 13,” said shipping secretary Gopal Krishna.
The shipping ministry has also started the process to invite fresh bids toselect an Indian partner to manage, operate and maintain the port for thenext 10 years.
None of the three companies — Adani, JSW and International Cargo Terminal& Infrastructure Private Limited — shortlisted in the technical bid earlierparticipated in the financial bid owing to stringent conditions. One of theclause required the successful bidder to pay an upfront payment of US $8.52million as premium.
Following complaints from the shortlisted companies over the bid norms, theshipping ministry referred the matter to an inter- ministerial panel. “Thegroup of ministers last month decided to ease the bid conditions, includingremoving the clause to pay premium,” said an official of India Ports GlobalPrivate Limited (IPGPL) who didn’t want to be named. IPGPL is a jointventure between Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and Kandla Port Trust, set upto implement the project.
One of the officials said, “We were charging a premium from the successfulbidder to meet our preliminary expenses. But the shortlisted bidders saidthat the project is of strategic importance and is not commercially viable.”
Chabahar port located in the Sistan-Baluchistan Province of Iran on thesouth-eastern coast is of great strategic importance to India. It willprovide India an alternative and reliable access route into Afghanistan,bypassing Pakistan. This would also give India access to resource-richCentral Asia.1396**1396