Container volumes at JNPT dips 7 per cent in FY21

Cargo containers handled at state-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) dipped 7.04 per cent to 4.676 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in FY21 from 5.031 million TEUs a year earlier. This indicates India’s biggest state-run container gateway was hit by a combination of the pandemic induced demand destruction and diversion of cargo to the private rival Mundra port in Gujarat.

This is the first time in three years that JNPT handled less than 5 million TEUs.

JNPT has five container terminals, of private entities run four, while the port trust itself runs the fifth.

Of the 4.676 million TEUs handled in FY21, Gateway Terminals India Pvt Ltd (GTIPL), the facility run by a joint venture between A P M Terminals Management B V and Container Corporation of India Ltd (Concor), emerged the top terminal yet again by handling 1.668 million TEUs, a drop of 15.94 per cent from the 1.985 million TEUs in FY20, according to JNPT.

Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals Private Limited (BMCT), the facility run by Singapore’s PSA International Pte Ltd, handled 9,33,154 TEUs from 8,08,873 TEUs last year clocking a growth of 15.36 per cent.

JNPCT, the container terminal run by the government-owned port authority, registered the biggest dip in volumes of 24.32 per cent to 5,44,027 TEUs from 7,18,863 TEUs in FY20.

Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal Pvt Ltd (NSICT), the Dubai government-owned D P World’s first facility at JNPT and operating since 2000, handled 7,50,978 TEUs from 5,31,354 TEUs last year, posting a growth of 41.33 per cent, the biggest among the five terminals.

Nhava Sheva (India) Gateway Terminal Pvt Ltd (NSIGT), also run by D P World, handled 7,79,769 TEUs from 9,86,624 TEUs in FY20, a drop of 20.97 per cent.

The total cargo (including containers) handled by JNPT during FY21 declined 5.32 per cent to 64.809 million tons (mt) from 68.4449 (mt) last year.