A unit of PSA International today celebrated the laying of the foundation stone to mark an important chapter in the development of the fourth container terminal in Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JN Port), India.

The ceremony was attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as a host of leaders including the governor and chief minister of the state of Maharashtra.

Singapore was represented by Mr Lim Thuan Kuan, High Commissioner to India, Mr Tan Chong Meng, group CEO of PSA International; as well as government representatives and members of the business community in Mumbai.

Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals (BMCT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of PSA Bharat Investments - which is itself a subsidiary of PSA International - will help facilitate trade and cater to the ever-increasing demand for container handling capacity at JN Port.

The new terminal will serve the important industrial and manufacturing centres and cities in India's largest hinterland, and play a role in supporting India's fast-growing economy.

Equipped with the deepest berths in JN Port and advanced port technologies, BMCT will be able to handle and ensure swift turnaround of large container vessels that ply the oceans today.

BMCT will be completed in two phases with each phase of the terminal having an annual capacity of 2.4 million container boxes.

The development of Phase 1 is expected to be completed in three years.

Upon full completion of both phases, BMCT will have a quay length of 2,000 metres, 24 state-of-the-art quay cranes and a designed capacity of 4.8 million boxes a year.