JN Port continues to set the standards as it completes 34 years
Jawaharlal Nehru Port, India’s largest container handling facility, celebrates its 34th Foundation Day on Friday (May 26, 2023). It comes after yet another record-breaking fiscal for the port, which has been the routine more or less every year since its inception.
Fiscal 2022-23 saw the port again create history, under the leadership of Mr Sanjay Sethi, IAS, Chairman, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), Mr Unmesh Sharad Wagh, IRS, Deputy Chairman, the Heads of Departments, employees and stakeholders across the board, registering its highest ever throughput of 6.05 million TEUs. It had handled 5.68 million TEUs in the previous fiscal, which was also a record then. The increase in total throughput was 6.44%.
Total traffic handled during the period was 83.86 MMT, up 10.35% over the 76 MMT handled in the same period of the previous year. As Mr Sethi had put it: “This is an exemplary achievement that will go into our record books. This proves our commitment to making the port a perfect gateway for ex-im trade. It is a token of the port’s consistent efforts and commitment to providing the best services to our clients.”
Terminals to the fore
This performance is of course driven by the port’s terminals. APM Terminals Mumbai (GTI), BMCT (PSA Mumbai), NSIGT, NSICT, JNPCT and the new Nhava Sheva Freeport Terminal (NSFT) all contributed in varying degrees. The key terminals have over the years augmented their facilities to global standards and ensured the best of services to the trade.
JN Port connects to over 200 major ports of the world and is today India’s first 100% landlord port.
Logistics topper
JN Port is not one to rest on its laurels; it constantly endeavours to attain new heights in productivity and performance. A month after the fiscal record, it achieved another feat by setting a global benchmark in container cargo
handling. According to the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) Report, 2023, published by the World Bank, JNPA has an impressive turnaround time (TAT) of just 22 hours (equal to 0.9 days), putting India amongst the top performers.
This was facilitated by various measures taken to reduce the dwell time. The operational efficiency of the terminal operators was the biggest contributor along with the better landside, rail and road connectivity, setting up of Centralized Parking Plaza (CPP), digitisation of the processes, streamlining of berthing and unberthing of vessels, deploying more tugs for smooth transition of vessels, etc.
More milestones await
Work on the PSA Mumbai terminal Phase 2 is on in full swing. Once operational, it will add additional capacity of 2.4 million TEUs. On successful completion, the terminal will be able to handle up to 4.8 million TEUs annually.Besides, the port-run container terminal has now become a PPP entity. Nhava Sheva Freeport Terminal (NSFT), a joint venture of J M Baxi Ports and Logistics Ltd & CMA Terminals, is revamping the existing container terminal, in two phases. It has commenced partial operations and is expected to be fully completed next year.
JN Port is thus steaming ahead to attain a capacity of over 10 million TEUs, and many more throughput milestones in the coming years, facilitated by infrastructure augmentation, productivity improvements, easing of procedures, and key projects like the JNPA SEZ, India’s first port-based multi-sector operational Special Economic Zone.
Source: Exim News Service: Navi Mumbai, May 25