Commissioning of 4th terminal at JNPT will raise capacity to over 11 million TEUs
Updated: Jun 28, 2014 02:11:22pm
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“…in addition to commissioning of the ports 4th terminal will raise its capacity to over 11 million TEUs equipping it to handle more containerized cargo than the existing 55 per cent primarily originating from or destined for Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka as well as most of North India, and major exports from the JNPT being textiles, sporting goods, carpets, textile machinery, boneless meat, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, whereas the main imports are chemicals, machinery, plastics, electrical machinery, vegetable oils and aluminium and other non-ferrous metals,” Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President M Rafeeque Ahmed has said.
He said this while commenting on the announcement of a slew of projects to come up under the Mumbai Port Trust, along the eastern shore of the city.
The move would also contribute to the pace of cargo containerisation which is about 20 per cent annually as against over 70 per cent in developed countries.
FIEO also said that for the existing container terminals land side infrastructure for road, parking; need for second stage of dredging to enable larger vessels to make JNPT a port of call is also required.
“While the port is connected to three major highways – Mumbai-Pune, Mumbai-Goa and Mumbai-Agra by 43 km of internal road network, the movement and evacuation of cargo continues to be a problem in peak season and upgrading of existing four laning to 8 to 12 lane to evacuate/move 8 to 10 m TEU’s of cargo is much needed to cater to the volume of traffic,” FIEO said in a release.
The implementation of the Dedicated Freight Corridor is anticipated to streamline 50 per cent of the cargo movement out of the port.
Given its long relationship with liners as a port of calling, JNPT clearly stands to gain in the container trade with shifting of production of many autos and TNC’s and is bound to play a critical role in further development of trade in the continent, the release said adding that it also has the capacity to attract funds from overseas markets given its zero debt balance sheet AAA rated bonds.
President, FIEO stated that a stimulus to infrastructure projects such as this would boost core infrastructure sector which constitutes 37.9 per cent of IIP which had contracted for two months in a row to a low of 0.5 per cent. (KNN/SD)