New Mangalore Port Container Terminal, India

In early 2001, The New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) invited bids to develop a container (box) terminal at the port based in Panambur, Western India. Development is geared towards making the port a hub for transshipment of containers.
The New Mangalore Port Trust hopes that Panambar be developed into a world class container port, with backup facilities and equipment coming out of an R700 million investment. The development is planned to take place in several stages.
Maersk Sealand, Ashok Leyland, Dubai Port authority, International Seaports and Hutchinson (HK) have already expressed interest in the project. Maersk Lines have already started bringing empty dry reefer containers (with the use of reefer plug points) into the port container yard.
MARKET RATIONALE
The Federation of Kanara Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), NMPT, exporters, importers and industry, called to have the port developed to cope with major increases in traffic in the area.
In India, the composition of traffic has undergone significant changes in recent years. Major increases in traffic were observed in respect of fertilizer and raw materials (32.8 %), iron ore (18.5 %), vegetable oil (13.3 %) and containerized cargo (12.9 %).
Most of the container cargo to India is currently transshipped through Colombo, Dubai and Singapore Ports. The new Mangalore port handles traffic mostly from Mangalore Refineries, Petrochemicals Ltd. and Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd.
RESUMPTION OF CONTAINER SERVICES AT NEW MANGALORE
Container services at the port were resumed in March 2000. At this time an agreement was formed by NMPT and export/import companies, that the port would resume a workable container service with no less that 500 TEUs being processed per month. (A TEU is a 20-foot equivalent unit, the maritime standard used when counting cargo units of varying lengths).
So far, 33 container vessels have called at the port since its resumption, with aggregate traffic reaching approximately 19,500 tonnes.
All parties concerned are confident of routing more and more traffic through the New Mangalore port.
NEW MANGALORE PORT'S DEVELOPMENT
Throughout the past year the port has been rapidly developing. A 350 metre wharf can now berth various harbour crafts and a multi-user jetty can now receive tankers of 50,000 DWT.
Between 1997 and 2002 various schemes will have costed R280 million. The major projects surrounding the development of the infrastructure for container/cargo handling equipment, include the construction of an additional general cargo berth and the construction of an oil jetty. The less costly projects involve the revamping/replacement of ELL wharf cranes, procurement of a tug and construction of a new administrative office complex.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) was awarded the R7 million contract for a state-of-the-art Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) for NMPT. This is BHEL's first such project and it has formed a consortium with Japan Radio Company. The VTMS is designed for monitoring safety of navigation, overseeing traffic at the points of port entrance and intersection of traffic speed zones.
RECENT AND FUTURE FACILITIES AT THE PORT
With storage capacity of 75,000 tonnes, Indian Oil Corporation installed an oil farm for naphtha and other petroleum products. The Indian Molasses Company have developed chemical tanks with total capacity of 40,000 KL. Mangalore Liquid Impex, Universal Agro exports Pvt Ltd and Indian Ports Warehousing Co have installed edible oil tanks. Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd can contain 10,000 tonnes of liquid ammonia and 16,000 tonnes of phosphoric acid. Moreover, L & T now have 3 silos (15,000 tonnes capacity) for storing cement at the port.
Moreover, new floating crafts are likely to attract more importers/exporters to the port. Further developments see the purchase of a 50 tonne bollard pull tractor tug, a multi-purpose vessel for oil pollution/buoy laying and pilot/mooring launches.