In keeping with its status as the country’s leading container handling terminal, JN Port’s APM Terminals Mumbai recently handled a record parcel size of 6,243 TEUs in 30 hours 51 minutes from the vessel MV Wan Hai 509. The total number of 4,878 moves entailed a berth productivity of 158 moves per hour and gross crane rate of 33.09.

To commemorate this world class benchmark in operations, a function was organised at GTI on September 7 to felicitate Wan Hai, the operational teams that facilitated this national record as well as JN Port for its support.

In his address, Mr L Radhakrishnan chairman of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust congratulated the terminal’s workforce, made up of people from the nearby region, for this stupendous success. This will further consolidate the Port’s standing, he stressed, in the process giving the employees and their children more opportunities for success, better education, as well as benefits to the region in the form of improved facilities, increased price for land, etc. He hoped that the success would rub off on the Port's other terminals as well.

The Chairman was hopeful of commencing the critical project to dredge the Port’s channels by October to November, which would facilitate the calling of more such vessels with large parcel sizes. The initial phase of dredging would increase draught to 14 m. A long term plan envisages draught up to 17 m.

Mr Radhakrishnan revealed that one of the important facilitators of this record, JNPT’s Marine Department, was being modernized, he said. To save on the steep energy costs, JNPT was trying to ensure captive power within the Port through generation of non-conventional energy and by buying non-conventional energy from outside sources.

(Sourced from Exim News Service)