Galathea Bay

About Galathea Bay: 

• Location: It is located in the Great Nicobar Island of Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India.
• It is being developed as an International Container Transshipment Port (ICTP).
• It is also eligible for central funding and will be developed under the public-private partnership model.
• The proposed facility is envisaged to be developed in four phases with Phase 1 is proposed to be commissioned in the year 2028 with handling capacity of ~ 4 Million TEUs, increasing to 16 Million TEUs in the ultimate stage of development by 2058.
• Once operational, the Galathea Bay project will help capture a large share of transshipped cargo which is handled at ports outside India.

Significance of this project

• The project focuses on three key drivers, which can result in making it a leading container transshipment port, i.e.
  • Strategic location in terms of proximity (40 nautical miles) with the International shipping trade route
  • Availability of natural water depth of over 20m and carrying capacity of transshipment cargo from all the Ports in the proximity including Indian Ports.

Ports in India

• India currently has 12 operational Major Ports controlled by the central government and another 200 non-major ones governed by the states.
• The Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 provides for regulation, operation and planning of Major Ports in India and vests the administration, control and management of such ports upon the Boards of Major Port Authorities. 

Q1: What is a bay?

It is a body of water partially surrounded by land. A bay is usually smaller and less enclosed than a gulf. The mouth of the bay, where it meets the ocean or lake, is typically wider than that of a gulf.

Source: Centre notifies Galathea Bay as a 'Major Port'