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Inadequate port infrastructure stymies trade ambitions of India

Updated: Jan 11, 2023 08:06:20am
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Inadequate port infrastructure stymies trade ambitions of India

New Delhi, Jan 11 (KNN) India’s inability to attract bigger container ships due to insufficient port infrastructure has put the country’s aim to become the world’s factory at risk, reported Bloomberg.

Most harbours along India’s coast aren’t deep enough to handle vessels like the Ever Alot, the world’s largest boxship at 400 meters long and with a capacity of more than 24,000 twenty-foot equivalent units.

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In recent month its neighbouring Sri Lanka as well as Malaysia received visits from the Ever Alot, which can rival the Empire State Building in length.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust which is India’s biggest state-run container handling facility, lacks the 17-meter draft needed for such vessels to navigate.


Mundra Port, operated by billionaire Gautam Adani’s conglomerate is said to be capable of handling the behemoth — has so far been skipped.

The 17,292-TEU APL Raffles is the biggest vessel to have berthed there, in January 2022 with 13,159 TEUs on board.

Shailesh Garg, a director at Drewry Maritime Advisors said “Ultra-large ships provide economies of scale. However, increasing the vessel size alone will not help in speeding up the movement of goods to and from the hinterland.”

“Road and rail links from ports to warehouses, factories and shops also need to be improved, he said.

cording to a Reserve Bank of India report in 2022, poor shipping connectivity has hindered India’s integration into the global value chain.

The country scored 34 per cent in the GVC participation index compared to 45.9 per cent for the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the RBI said.  (KNN Bureau)

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