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INDIA's Jawaharlal Nehru Port handled 4.16 million TEU in its financial year from 2013 to 2014, accounting for 57 per cent of the total container throughput handled by the nation's major ports.
Within this total, the container terminal JNPCT at the port handled 1.31 million TEU, Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal (NSICT), 970,000 TEU, and Gateway Terminals India (GTI) Mumbai, 1.88 million TEU.
The port handled 62.35 million tonnes of cargo over the reporting period, 3.3 per cent lower than the 64.49 million tonnes handled the previous year.
Of the total, the share of containerised cargo was 55.24 million tonnes, liquid cargo 6.29 million tonnes and the remaining 0.82 million tonnes was made up of miscellaneous cargo in the form of dry bulk and breakbulk, reported Exim News Service.
According to the chairman of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, NN Kumar, the year-on-year fall in container traffic was due to the labour and trailer related issues at private terminals and also the impact of the TAMP policy.
Cargo being diverted from JN Port to ports in Gujarat was due to JNP not having added to its capacity in the last six years, resulting in the "growth shifting to other terminals."
Mr Kumar said phase one of channel dredging was almost complete and the new draught of 14 metres would be announced soon. While the second phase of dredging entails a draught of 17 metres, the initial target would be 15 metres, for which the port had sought government money.
He was hopeful that the new 330-metre terminal would be ready by the end of the current fiscal and said that the port management could allow partial operations once the jetty is in place.
He revealed that the concession agreement for PSA International to operate a new 4.8 million TEU container terminal would be signed on April 21, to be followed by financial closure and, subsequently, the commencement of construction.
Asian Shipper News
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