V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority (VOCPA) has invited a global tender for consultancy services to prepare a Basic Engineering and Depth Feasibility Report for its proposed shipbuilding cluster in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, moving the project into its detailed planning phase.
What is the scope of the project?
VOCPA has earmarked approximately 2,500 acres near the port at Tuticorin for the cluster. The port authority and the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) had earlier signed an MoU to form a special purpose vehicle, National Shipbuilding & Heavy Industries Park, Tamil Nadu, to develop the National Mega Shipbuilding Cluster. VOCPA and SIPCOT had initially proposed both Tuticorin and Cuddalore as potential sites for internationally competitive commercial shipyards and ancillary industries, in line with the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, which target India reaching the top five shipbuilding nations by 2047.
What is the consultant expected to deliver?
The selected consultant will prepare a Basic Engineering and Depth Feasibility Report along with a conceptual plan for the cluster. The scope covers a broad, multidisciplinary feasibility assessment of the site; a conceptual design for shipyard infrastructure including berthing facilities, breakwater, dredging and stack yard requirements; a detailed layout plan with cost estimates covering the port, internal roads, drainage, breakwater and utilities; legal and risk analysis; and an implementation action plan and schedule.
The terms of reference call for a masterplan covering shipbuilding infrastructure with floating dock or fixed dry dock facilities, a ship repair maintenance facility, dredging requirements, berth and dock design, container yard and operational area layouts, port buildings, mechanisation equipment specifications, and an electrical distribution system with an emphasis on renewable energy. The consultant is also required to assess the minimum land area and waterfront length needed, and to recommend technical criteria such as ship sizes to be built, dry dock numbers, and berthing area layout.
What is the timeline and process?
VOCPA has adopted a two-stage selection process, with technical proposals evaluated first before financial bids are opened for shortlisted applicants. Eligible bidders are required to have completed at least one port-sector feasibility study, DPR or detailed engineering assignment for a shipbuilding yard project of at least Rs 1,000 crore, or two port-sector projects worth Rs 700 crore each, in the last seven years. The consultancy is structured around five deliverables, from an inception report through to the final report, with an expected overall duration of approximately 32 weeks once survey and investigation data is provided.
How does this fit into VOCPA’s broader shipbuilding push?
The RFP builds on the SPV formed between VOCPA and SIPCOT to develop the mega shipbuilding cluster, and follows VOC Port’s earlier tender inviting bids for a separate 56-hectare shipbuilding and repair yard within the port on a 30-year lease. Together, the moves position Tuticorin alongside other emerging Indian shipbuilding clusters, including Andhra Pradesh’s Dugarajapatnam cluster and Gujarat’s Porbandar cluster, as the country works toward its 2047 shipbuilding targets.
