Panaji: Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) has picked Engineering Projects India (EPI), a govt entity, to revive its Rs 72 crore international cruise terminal.The project, which came to a halt in the last quarter of 2025, was under litigation, but now MPA hopes that the terminal will be completed before the 2027 cruise season.“EPI is a govt agency, so things will be better this time. The work should be completed before the next cruise tourism season. EPI is likely to subcontract the work to some of its existing contractors,” said a port official.EPI is a Mini Ratna company under the administrative control of the Ministry of Heavy Industries. MPA’s confidence is driven by EPI’s execution of 34-odd projects valued at over $1,534 million in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yugoslavia, Maldives, Bhutan, Thailand and Oman.The Union ministry of ports is looking to develop Goa as part of the four theme-based coastal cruise circuits. MPA’s cruise terminal includes Ro-Ro and Ro-Pax services. Once completed, it will have 24 immigration counters, 10 check-in counters and luxury amenities, including a shopping zone spanning 3,700 sqm for cruise passengers.However, these plans suffered a major setback when the contract with Gurgaon-based RCC-ACC to build the cruise terminal was terminated on Dec 10. Construction of the cruise terminal already ground to a halt in the Oct-Dec quarter. While port officials said that the private construction company was struggling with finances, RCC-ACC claimed that there was a delay in obtaining Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) approvals.
