The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has appointed Ravish Kumar Singh as the Deputy Chairman of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) for a five-year term. Singh, a 2009 batch Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer, is slated to take charge on or after December 6, according to an official order issued on Tuesday.
His appointment strengthens the leadership of India’s busiest state-owned container gateway and second-largest port, located at Nhava Sheva near Mumbai. This follows the government’s decision in October to name Gaurav Dayal, an IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, as JNPA Chairman. Dayal assumed office on October 24, filling a leadership vacuum that persisted after former Chairman Sanjay Sethi completed his five-year tenure in January 2024. In the interim, Deputy Chairman Unmesh Wagh was holding additional charge as Chairman.
The leadership transition comes at a crucial time as JNPA spearheads the development of the Vadhvan mega greenfield port in Maharashtra. The project is being implemented through Vadhvan Port Project Ltd, a joint venture between JNPA (74%) and the Maharashtra Maritime Board (26%). With an estimated investment of ₹76,220 crore, Vadhvan is set to become India’s largest public port, boasting a capacity of 298 million tonnes (mt) annually, including 23.2 million TEUs of container cargo.
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As part of the development, the project authority has floated a tender to build a 10.14 km-long breakwater, the longest ever for an Indian port project, costing approximately ₹5,300 crore. This offshore structure will be crucial for protecting the upcoming port’s harbour against wave impact, ensuring safe and efficient maritime operations.
