Fourth JNPT terminal bid process scrapped

Fourth JNPT terminal bid process scrapped    Bidding for development of a fourth terminal at India's busiest container port has been halted due to poor response from potential bidders and legal challenges by two domestic bidders who have been excluded from the process, Mint reported this week.
   The Jawaharlal Nehru Port, far and away the country's largest container gateway, is seeking a terminal operator to develop and operate a 600,000-TEU terminal. The JNP Trust had short-listed Dubai-based DP World (which already operates one of the three existing terminals at the port) and a consortium headed by domestic conglomerate Essar.
   However, two other domestic companies — Mundra Port and SEZ Ltd. and ABG Infralogistics, Ltd. — were excluded from the bidding process and challenged JNPT's decision in court.
   The terminal will likely be rebid, Indian shipping ministry officials told Mint.