'Major ports need single agency for shore handling of ships'

Amid India's non-major ports eating into the share of 12 major ports, a government- appointed panel has recommended ensuring that shore handing of vessels be done by a single agency to improve the profitability of centre-owned ports.
"The stevedoring and shore handling of vessels in Major Ports be carried out by a single agency as far as possible," a Ministry of Shipping Committee has recommended.
Unlike about 200 non-major ports, there are multiple agencies for shore handling and stevedoring at major ports at present.
"The non Major Ports have by and large a system of having one agency looking after all the work of landing/loading of ships and shore handling of cargo in their port; this gives a more focused approach to marketing of the port," the committee said.

The recommendations are aimed at protecting major ports interests amid their market share nosediving to 57 per cent in 2013-14 from 91 per cent in 1994-95.
The Committee said work could be handled efficiently by single operators providing example of PPP berths in Major Ports where the terminal operator gets to do end to end handling, landing/loading and delivery/receipt of cargo for the ships.

"In fact only about 23 per cent of the traffic of Major Ports in 2012-13, amounting to about 124 million tonnes, which is mostly non-mechanised, gets handled by stevedores; with 54 PPP projects awarded in the last two years, this is likely to fall even more," it said.

A stevedore is the name given to a port worker that transfers cargo between ship and shore.
India has about 200 non-major ports and 12 major ports - Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Kolkata (with Haldia), Chennai, Visakhapatanam, Cochin, Paradip, New Mangalore, Marmagao, Ennore, Tuticorin and Kandla.
The Narendra Modi led-government has also initiated steps aimed at "corporatising" major ports and has started the process for appointment of a world-class consultant to come out with a draft report for amendments in the relevant act.
The move is aimed at infusing professionalism in the major ports in order to make them compete with private sector ports as well empower financial autonomy.

These ports have also been asked to come up with a shelf of projects to augment their capacity to 1600 MT from the present 800 MT.
The major ports in India have between them 2.64 lakh acres of land, which is a major resource and can be understood from the fact that only Mumbai Port Trust has about 753 hectares of land with it, valued at about Rs 46,000 crore.