Cargo handling reaches saturation at JNPT, Nhava

Massive growth in export cargo at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and the Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal (NSICT) has resulted in the authorities denying entry to many containers.

The JNPT and NSICT have witnessed a growth of 30 per cent in export cargo in the last year.

Rakesh Mehra, chairman, Synthetic Rayon Textile Exporters Promotion Council (SRTEPC), said: "Since both these ports are running at full cargo handling capacity, many a times port authorities do not permit export containers to enter the port. The situation is serious and needs to be addressed immediately."

As a result, exporters find it difficult to plan their shipments as cases of cargo 'shut outs' from the scheduled vessels have become frequent.

According to NSICT officials, since the port commenced operations in April 1999, cargo volumes have increased by 30 per cent per annum. Also, the existing infrastructure at the port is inadequate to handle this kind of growth in volumes.

SRTEPC cites the inability of Concor to move import containers at port terminals to various inland cargo depots as another factor contributing to the congestion at the port.