MbPT extends bid deadline to Oct 9

MUMBAI: For the 14th time in two years, Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) has extended the deadline for submitting technical and price bids for the Rs 1,200 crore offshore container project to October 9 from September 15.

The extension is due to the delay in getting security clearance for the Manila-based port operator International Container Terminal Services (ICTS), the bidding partner of Larsen & Toubro (L&T). “While bidding for the International Container Transhipment Terminal at Vallarpadam in Kochi, ICTS had got the security clearance in ’04. The new extension of deadline is because of the delay in completing the paper work,” a source said. ICTS is likely to get security clearance in a week, he added.

The Mumbai port had submitted the security clearance proposal to the ministry of shipping last month. Intelligence agencies are verifying the details given by ICTS and will submit a report soon. Two weeks ago, MbPT had extended the deadline to September 15 from August 31.

L&T, one of the short-listed bidders for the project, had appointed Hong Kong-based Hutchison Ports Holdings (HPH) as management contractor for handling terminal operations. But, HPH failed to get security clearance due to its links with China forcing L&T to choose ICTS as the partner.