DP World seeks concession extension at Jawaharlal Nehru Port, stays firm on $5 billion India investment

DP World will seek an extension of the concession period for its container terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, with the current concession set to end in 2027, even as global disruptions push the company to accelerate its broader India investment plans.

Global disruptions are driving companies to stockpile inventory and diversify suppliers to build more resilient supply chains, Hemant Kumar Ruia, Country Manager, Subcontinent (India), DP World, said, adding that the company has found avenues outside affected regions to diversify so that trade carries on.

DP World is staying firm on its $5 billion India investment commitment despite the ongoing West Asia crisis, though it is still finalising the specific avenues for deployment as it evaluates areas of opportunity. Around half a billion dollars will go towards its proposed facility at Tuna Tekra, a satellite port off the coast of Kandla in Gujarat, with the company working to a five-year timeline for these investments to fructify. In October 2025, DP World had signed a slew of memoranda of understanding with public and private sector players in India. The company had previously drawn attention in 2024 after reportedly bidding over five times the royalty internally assessed by the government when it floated the relevant tender.

On the JNPA concession, the company’s push for an extension aligns with a broader industry conversation already underway. Authorities are reportedly weighing an early renewal of DP World’s Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal (NSICT) concession, signed in the late 1990s and set to expire in 2028, as a step to safeguard investments and maintain cargo-handling efficiency amid intensifying competition from private ports and new terminals. The discussions follow the landmark April 2025 settlement that resolved a two-decade tariff dispute between JNPA and DP World, under which a Rs 705 crore settlement is being offset through volume-linked royalty rebates until 2028 or until fully adjusted.

Separately, JNPA has also been evaluating a proposal to extend NSICT’s concession by four years beyond its currently scheduled expiry date of June 30, 2027, which would align its tenure with the adjacent Nhava Sheva (India) Gateway Terminal (NSIGT), also operated by DP World, whose concession runs until 2031. JNPA Chairman Gaurav Dayal has previously confirmed the port authority is in favour of the extension in principle, while noting that legal aspects still need to be worked through.