INDIAN Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently laid the foundation stone of the Vadhvan Port project, a nine-terminal mega-seaport that will cost US$9.1 billion) to build, reports New York's Sourcing Journal.

Vadhavan Port is a proposed deep sea port at Vadhavan in Palghar district of Maharashtra. The port will be built on coast of the Arabian Sea; the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) is responsible for its construction of the port.

The massive project is anticipated to handle 23.2 million TEU per year, which would make it one of the top 10 ports by capacity in the world upon completion. Vadhvan is expected to be operational by 2030.

The west coast port is intended to handle ultra-large vessels, strengthening India's trade connection with Central Asia, the Asia-to-Europe International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and Russia - all with the goal of improving India's standing in global maritime trade.Additionally, the new gateway is expected to reduce congestion at Jawaharlal Nehru Port. Vadhvan is in Dahanu, a coastal town that is roughly 70 miles north of Mumbai.

The port's container terminals will each be roughly 3,300 metres long, and four multi-functional berths. The port will span 3,578 acres of sea area and will include construction of 6.3 miles of offshore breakwater and cargo storage facilities.