The Adani Group is set to open a new container terminal at Mundra Port at the end of this year, as major carriers add new calls out of the emerging economy.
“Cognizant of growing demands, Mundra Port is expanding its infrastructure,” said the company, adding that “a new berth, T3, with capacity of 800,000 TEUs is set to be commissioned in the third quarter [October-December] of the fiscal year 2023-24.”
Mundra currently features five box terminals, including two port-owned terminals (AMCT and T2); Adani CMA Mundra Terminal (ACMTPL), a joint venture with the CMA CGM Group; and Adani International Container Terminal (AICTPL), a partnership with the MSC Group; and Mundra International Container Terminal (MICT), a concession operated by DP World.
Adani Ports pointed out, “Mundra is the largest container handling port in India, having handled more than 6.6 million TEUs in FY23, making it an integral gateway to the north and central parts of the country.”
Containerised trade through Mundra has shown steady growth in recent years, outpacing Nhava Sheva (JNPT) to become India’s largest box gateway.
Adani has also made considerable investments in other infrastructure upgrades to keep pace with the trade growth.
The company said, “To augment container rail handling capacity, five new handling lines and two cantilever rail-mounted gantry (CRMG) cranes are being introduced.”
It further noted, “A new terminal operating system is being implemented to streamline processes and minimise manual interventions. It is also moving towards automation to reduce the man-machine interface and improve overall safety and efficiency.”
The opening of more train services on Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) for Mundra has also borne significant results for the private port, thus positioning itself as the preferred gateway for northern hinterlands.
The group highlighted Mundra has become the ‘port of choice’ for major shipping lines such as MSC, CMA CGM, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, thanks to its efficiency, reliability and seamless operations, besides its customer-centric approach and state-of-the-art facilities.
As a consequence of Cyclone Biparjoy-induced disruptions last month, Mundra has faced serious congestion challenges in recent weeks.
However, the company said it has been able to clear a major portion of the cargo backlogs, thus bringing yard inventory under a reasonable level. It also said more train services, including double-stacked operations, have been added to accelerate the pace of cargo clearance.
“With regard to train handling, the port has commissioned Line 7 and this further strengthens the port’s capability to turn around the trains faster. We are consistently handling close to 22-23 trains and 5,000 rail TEUs per day,” it noted.
Mundra saw 528,081 TEUs last month, down from 558,369 TEUs year-over-year, data obtained by Container News shows.
Jenny Daniel
Global Correspondent
Contact email: j.daniel@container-news.com
