Vadhavan Port to be three times bigger than JNPT says Maharashtra CM
Maharashtra Chief Minister has announced that the upcoming Vadhavan Port in Palghar district will be three times larger than the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT), currently India’s busiest container-handling facility.
The ambitious project is expected to position India among the world’s leading maritime economies. Addressing Indian Foreign Service officers at a recent interaction, Fadnavis stated that Vadhavan Port would not only outscale JNPT but also feature among the top ten global ports upon completion. “This port will generate an entirely new economic corridor over the next two decades, with Mumbai alone having the potential to become a 1.5 trillion-dollar economy,” he said. The mega port project is being developed at an estimated cost of ₹76,220 crore by Vadhavan Port Project Ltd (VPPL), a Special Purpose Vehicle formed through a joint venture between the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (74 per cent stake) and the Maharashtra Maritime Board (26 per cent stake). The project will follow the public-private partnership (PPP) model to ensure efficient development of core port infrastructure, cargo terminals and supporting commercial zones.
To complement the port infrastructure, the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) has begun a pre-feasibility study for a greenfield airport near Vadhavan, aimed at enhancing air connectivity and enabling multi-modal logistics integration in the region. Plans are also underway to ensure seamless connectivity through road and rail networks. The port will be linked to national highways overseen by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and will connect with both existing railway infrastructure and the Dedicated Freight Corridor currently under construction by the Ministry of Railways.
Fadnavis’s remarks underscore the state’s ambition to develop Palghar into a critical maritime and logistics hub, driving long-term economic growth in western India. The project is being positioned not only as a port facility but as the foundation of a broader industrial and logistics ecosystem aimed at global competitiveness.
