6/20/2024–|Last updated: 6/20/202405:57 PM (Mecca time)
The Indian Cabinet has approved the establishment of a new deep-water port as an important part of a plan to connect the Asian country to Europe by sea and rail lines through the Middle East.
The Indian Minister of Information, Ashwini Vaishnao, stated that the Vadavan port will be built on the western coast of India, about 150 kilometers from the economic capital, Mumbai, at a cost of 762 billion Indian rupees ($9.14 billion).
Port components
Vaishnau added that the port will include stations to accommodate “giant ships” and terminals for oil, cars and other imports with an annual capacity of 298 million tons. He indicated that construction will take place in two phases and that the first phase is expected to be completed by 2029.
“This will be part of the corridor between India and the Middle East,” Vaishnau said, referring to a plan announced last September on the sidelines of the G20 summit hosted by India.
New line
The new line starts from India and passes through the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel, and from there to the European Union and vice versa, according to what was revealed from the countries declared in the agreement, according to the memorandum published by the White House.
According to the White House, the line consists of two separate corridors, the eastern one links India to the Arabian Gulf, while the northern one links the Gulf to Europe.
The line is scheduled to include railways, and upon completion will provide a cost-effective cross-border transport network from ships to railways to complement existing sea and land transport routes, allowing the transit of goods and services across the countries party to the new line.
Along the railway route, participants intend to lay electricity and digital communication cables, as well as pipes for hydrogen export.
From another angle, the agreement announced in September came at a time when US President Joe Biden sought to confront China’s global infrastructure initiative (Belt and Road) by presenting Washington as an alternative partner and investor to developing countries in the G20.
Biden said it was a “big, real deal” that would connect ports across two continents, and lead to a “more stable, prosperous, and integrated Middle East.”
He added, during an event to announce the agreement, that it would provide “endless opportunities” for energy, clean electricity, and laying cables to connect communities.
It is noteworthy that the ultimate goal of the Chinese “Belt and Road” initiative is to reach the European consumer from China, by sea via Singapore and India towards the Mediterranean, and by land via these routes:
- From western China to western Russia, and then to northern Europe.
- From northern China to the Russian east, and from there west to Europe.
- From western China to Türkiye and west to Europe.
