Why Galathea Bay was picked: 14.2 million TEU and water more than 20 metres deep
Background
The Great Nicobar transhipment port, now before the Union government for a final decision, rests on the natural advantages of Galathea Bay.
The International Container Transhipment Terminal planned there is designed for a capacity of 14.2 million TEU.
The bay lies about 40 nautical miles from the East-West shipping route.
Its natural water depth is over 20 metres, which allows the largest container vessels to berth without heavy dredging.
The terminal is one of four components of the Great Nicobar Project, the others being a greenfield international airport, a power plant and a township.
The island is seismically sensitive and cyclone-prone, and a risk assessment and disaster management plan has been prepared for the project.
In plain words
TEU Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit — The standard unit for counting container traffic at a port.
Nautical mile 1,852 metres — The unit of distance used at sea and in the air.