Import Surge Clogs Nehru Port

Local agents of container lines calling at India’s Port of Jawaharlal Nehru called on Container Corp., the state-owned intermodal logistics provider, to speed evacuation of inland containers in a bid to ease congestion at the country's largest box gateway.

The move comes after the backlog of import boxes, destined for various inland container depots, reached nearly 8,000 TEUs.

“Unless quick action is taken and a contingency movement plan for inland containers is drawn, the clustering of containers at the port may further worsen the traffic position and throughput thereupon,” the Mumbai-Nhava Sheva Ship Agents’ Association said in a communique to Concor.

The company attributed the backlog to a sudden surge in import arrivals, and agreed to deploy additional trains to clear accumulated boxes.

Nehru, with its port-run terminal and the two private facilities operated by DP World and A.P. Moller-Maersk, handles more than half of India’s containerized traffic. Throughput for fiscal 2008-09 totaled 3.95 million TEUs, down 3 percent from 4.06 million TEUs the previous year.

As part of capacity expansion plans, the port authority recently initiated bidding process for its proposed fourth terminal project, to be developed in two phases at an estimated cost of $1.3 billion.