Container traffic at JNPT jumps 25.9% to 5.63 million TEUs in 2021

Container traffic at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) rose 25.86 per cent to 5.63 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in the calendar year 2021, the country's premier container port operator said in a statement on Thursday.

The traffic had stood at 4.47 million TEUs in the year-ago period, JNPT added.

The total cargo traffic at the port during 2021 stood at 76.14 million tonnes as compared with 62.32 million tonnes, logging a growth of 22 per cent, it said.

JNPT's total traffic and container traffic recorded in the last calendar year is the highest ever handled in a year since the inception of the facility, it said.

It is also the highest EXIM (export-import) container traffic handled by any port in India, JNPT said.

It added that the Nhava Sheva India Gateway Terminal (NSIGT) handled 1.16 million TEUs (1,166,019) and the Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals (BMCT) handled 1.17 million TEUs (1,170,502) during the calendar year 2021, crossing the one-million TEU mark in a year for the first time.

The container traffic handled at JNPT during April-December 2021 stood at 4,177,211 TEUs, which is 29.64 per cent higher as against 3,222,093 TEUs of the container traffic in the same period of last year, it stated.

JNPT Chairman Sanjay Sethi said, "JNPT's splendid performance in the calendar year (2021) despite the challenges of the pandemic is a testament to our commitment to fostering economic growth in India."

Two of the terminals, NSIGT and BMCT, have crossed the one-million TEUs mark in a year for the first time, Sethi added.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) operates five container terminals that handle over 50 per cent of the total container cargo among the major domestic ports.

These are Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal (JNPCT), NSICT, Gateway Terminals India Pvt Ltd (GTIPL), NSIGT and the newly-commissioned Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals Pvt Ltd.

As the world recovers from the pandemic and to meet the rising demand, the port has set out with the objective of being an end-to-end port operator for its stakeholders, ensuring timely and safe movement of their cargo by helping them optimise their logistics cost, Sethi said.

JNPT said that during the year, it commenced trial operations on its newly-dedicated berth for coastal shipping under the 'Sagarmala' programme to provide an impetus for coastal cargo movement.

It also commenced the dwarf container train service via double-stacked dwarf containers, giving the EXIM community a competitive cost advantage by lowering hinterland logistical costs while simultaneously enhancing rail-cargo traffic at the facility.