Mangaluru: Port strives to give fillip to container traffic with 2-phase terminal

MANGALURU: New Mangalore Port that handled 99,856 TEUs of container traffic from April to December 2018 as against 81,503 TEUs in the same period in 2017, registering a growth of 23% is striving to give a further push to the same. The port that aims to handle 1.2-lakh TEUs by end of this fiscal is betting on the two-phase expansion of its container terminal that will see the container traffic handling capacity go up to 3.5-lakh TEUs.

The request for proposal to mechanise berth 14 (container terminal) will be issued shortly and the proposal send for mandatory SFC clearance. This will enhance capacity of the berth by 6.02 million metric tonnes and entail an investment of Rs 280.71 crore in two-phases. While phase one will be completed in 18 months, the second phase will take up to five years. Gantry cranes of higher capacity will be installed to facilitate handling of container traffic.

M T Krishna Babu, chairman, New Mangalore Port Trust said the port is aiming to improve this (container) traffic further through better concessions including greater offloading time from the present 1 to 3 days and also by reducing congestion in backup area. There is also a proposal to increase the (container) offloading period to seven days, Babu said, adding the port has also offered up to 40% rebate on vessel charges to the operators.

With more feeder services expected to come to the port, Babu said boost to container traffic is also in sync with ministry of shipping’s vision to move more cargo through the shipping lanes rather than the already congested road and rail routes. “The challenge lies in making it cost effective vis-à-vis rail and road traffic,” Babu said adding the Tariff Authority for Major Ports under the ministry too is looking at making tariffs attractive for operators.

Coastal shipping has received a further boost with the TCI Seaways commencing new feeder vessel operation starting from Mundra Port to New Mangalore Port and Kochi in July 2018. As of now, five feeder lines operate on the route; Babu said adding as things stand, port is receiving six to seven feeder vessels every week that connect Mangaluru to Mundra, Goa and Kochi ports with onward connection to container hub at Colombo.

CONTAINER SCANNER

To ensure safety of cargo sent through containers, port on behalf of Customs is installing container scanner for which preparatory civil engineering works will be completed by March and equipment installed. The PMO has directed the ministry to meet this requirement of Customs and port is executing this work on their behalf, Babu said, adding Customs officials will man the scanner and scans containers based on risk assessment.