Abu Dhabi's National Marine Dredging Company said it has been awarded a $316-million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a hitech floating LNG (liquefied natural gas) port at Jafrabad in the Indian state of Gujarat.

India’s emerging energy entity, Swan LNG Private Limited (SLPL) is developing the country's first all-weather floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU)-based LNG import terminal in Gujarat at an estimated cost of $800 million.

On completion, it will have an initial capacity of 5 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA), expandable up to 20 MMTPA.

HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nayan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, launched the project during his recent three-day India visit.

He was there as the Chief Guest for India's 68th Republic Day Celebration at New Delhi on January 26.

This project award has set a new milestone in strategic relationship between India and UAE.

The Indian arm of NMDC, National Marine & Infrastructure India Private Limited (NMIIPL) has already begun construction on the project and targets to complete the project within three years, said a company spokesman.

"We are proud to be a part of India’s next generation LNG import facility. We ensure that this world class infrastructure will be engineered with the highest paradigms of safety, environment, compliance, reliability and quality," he added.-TradeArabia News Service