The Bahuda Port in Odisha, to handle 150 mt, is becoming India’s 14th major port; the MoU is to be signed on Sept 20.
In a landmark move for India’s maritime sector, Paradip Port Authority, Visakhapatnam Port Authority, Sagarmala Finance Corporation (SFCL), and the Odisha government will jointly develop a new major port at Bahuda in Ganjam district with an investment of ₹21,500 crore.
Designed with a capacity of 150 million tonnes (mt), Bahuda will become India’s 14th major port and the second Union government-owned port in Odisha after Paradip. It will be capable of handling dry bulk vessels of 40,000–150,000 DWT and container ships of up to 6,000 TEUs, as per a pre-techno-economic feasibility study by the Odisha government.
The MoU for the project will be signed on September 20 in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking a crucial step in India’s east coast port expansion.
SFCL, a newly registered RBI-regulated NBFC dedicated to maritime growth, will anchor project financing. The corporation will provide short-term (up to 1 year), medium-term (1–3 years), and long-term (3–15 years) loans to port authorities, shipping firms, MSMEs, shipyards, inland waterway operators, renewable energy players, and industries in coastal economic zones.
The Bahuda Port initiative focuses on port modernisation, road and rail connectivity, port-led industrialisation, and coastal community development, reinforcing Odisha as a strategic maritime hub and catalysing trade, logistics, and industrial growth along the eastern coast.
Currently, Odisha hosts two private operational ports, Dhamra and Gopalpur (Adani Ports), with Subarnarekha Mouth (Kirtania) by Tata Steel and Astaranga by Navayuga Engineering underway. The Bahuda project will further strengthen India’s port ecosystem and economic infrastructure, making the region a key player in east coast maritime trade.
Source: Maritime Gateway
