The world’s first CNG terminal is being built 19 km from the park. An explainer.

Bhavnagar has had a port for centuries, and a tidal problem for as long: the Gulf of Khambhat has one of the largest tidal ranges in the world, which is why the old port worked behind a lock gate. The redevelopment now under way keeps that idea and scales it up.

The project

• A ₹4,024 crore brownfield port on the north side of the existing harbour, developed by Bhavnagar Port Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., promoted by the Foresight Group (UK), the Padmanabh Mafatlal Group and Boskalis of the Netherlands.
• The world’s first CNG import terminal, chosen for Bhavnagar because a cross-country gas pipeline passes about 12 km from the port.
• A navigation lock of about 385 by 50 metres, described as the fourth-largest lock system in the world, with container, multipurpose, Ro-Ro and liquid terminals behind it.
• A planned capacity of about 4.65 million tonnes a year across the terminals.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone on 29 September 2022. The concessionaire has taken possession of 18 hectares on the North Quay from the Gujarat Maritime Board and the project has moved into design preparation. The original target was operations in 2026; we carry it as under construction and will update the date when the developer publishes one.

Why a lock matters

A lock keeps the water level in the basin constant regardless of the tide outside. Ships berth and work around the clock, cranes are not idle for half the day, and a container terminal becomes viable on a coast where the tide would otherwise dictate the schedule. For the hinterland, that is the difference between a port that handles bulk when it can and one that runs to a timetable.

Nineteen kilometres separate the park from the port gate. Add the RoPax ferry at Ghogha and the freight rail line under survey, and the sea is part of the plot’s address.