PSA International-operated flagship Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals (BMCT) in India’s Nhava Sheva Port (JNPT) continues to expand its ocean network reach on the strength of greater productivity levels and superior harbour infrastructure.
The latest win is an intra-Asia weekly call jointly led by Cosco Shipping, KMTC, T.S. Lines and Emirates Shipping Line. The consortium has shifted calls of the AIS (Asia-India Subcontinent) service from APM Terminals Mumbai (GTI) to BMCT, starting with the berthing of the MV ESL Kabir/MV KMTC Mundra last week.
With that addition, BMCT now hosts 13 long-haul weekly sailings, boasting the fastest growth among terminal operators at Nhava Sheva.
PSA Mumbai, in a release, said this network expansion will allow it to offer “a direct and faster transit time for cargoes to and from the Far East and India.”
The Singapore-based operator further noted, “The terminal is equipped with the latest technology to offer customers fast turnaround of vessels and is also well-connected by major highways and rail networks to key markets in Maharashtra, Gujarat and the National Capital Region of India. It serves the important industrial and manufacturing centres and cities in Northwest India, as well as India’s largest hinterland with a population in excess of 400 million.”
The joint intra-Asia loop deploys a fleet of seven vessels, with KMTC contributing three ships, according to available information.
PSA Mumbai secured two high-volume carrier routings last year: the EPIC Service that CMA CGM, Cosco Shipping and OOCL jointly operate between India and Europe under a seven-vessel partnership, and Maersk Line’s ME2 service linking India, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean.
In addition to these, the terminal bagged another three regular calls last year on top of more than 100 ad-hoc calls.
“With industry-leading productivity and expansive facilities, we continue to deliver reliability and value to the trade during these dynamic and challenging times,” PSA Mumbai noted in a previous statement.
BMCT handled 1.24 million TEUs in fiscal year 2021-22, which ended in March 2022, a 33% increase from the prior 12 months. From April through November, BMCT saw throughput surge 42% year-over-year to 492,000 TEUs.
BMCT’s Phase 1 began operations in February 2018. It features a quay length of 1,000 metres and the deepest berths at Nhava Sheva, capable of handling super post-Panamax vessels. Upon completion of Phase 2, targeted for April 2025, the terminal will have a berth length of 2,000 metres, able to handle 4.8 million TEUs annually.
Nhava Sheva has five container terminals. With the privatisation of its port-owned terminal in August this year, awarded to a joint venture between CMA Terminals (CMAT) and Mumbai-based JM Baxi Group, the port became India’s first full-fledged “landlord” entity.\
Jenny Daniel
Global Correspondent
Contact email: [email protected]
