PSA International group ceo Tan Chong Meng, said: “We are highly honoured by the prominence placed upon Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals by the Government of India and by Prime Minister Modi. They have fittingly regarded BMCT as a major port investment that will give rise to India’s largest container terminal when it completes its Phase 2 expansion to realise a total of 4.8m teu annual container handling capacity.”
JNPT chairman-in-charge Neeraj Bansal said: “JNPT congratulates PSA and BMCT on their achievement in completing Phase 1 of this mega-project on time: we deeply appreciate their partnership.”
He noted that additional competition and the creation of four dry ports in the hinterland as well as increasing Direct Port Delivery (DPD) volumes and an emphasis on increasing the proportion of rail, barge and coastal shipping are some of the ways the port is trying to boost value.
“JNPT is constantly trying to create more value for the trade; the additional capacity and competition from BMCT is going to be a big part of that,” Bansai added.
Two regular shipping services now call at the terminal: the Swahili Express Service operated by CMA-CGM and Emirates Shipping Line, linking India and East Africa; and Indian Ocean Service operated by Hapag Lloyd, Hamburg-Sud and CMA-CGM, which links India and the Middle East directly with North European ports. BMCT has a 30-year concession to develop the container terminal on a design, build, operate, finance and transfer basis.
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