MPT- JNPT feeder service to start by month end

The feeder service connecting Goa's Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) near Mumbai would begin by the end of this month, heralding a new era on the logistic front between both the neighbouring ports.
The Goa-based Chowgule Shipping Company, which has built a container feeder ship, operated by Shreyas Shipping and Logistics, will connect both the ports.
Confederation of Indian Industry's Goa Chapter President Kirit Maganlal told reporters that the connectivity will boost the logistics.
Maganlal said the service which will start later this month, will off load the cargo traffic movement on the road.
"Till now, trucks were carrying containers from MPT to JNPT. The feeder service will decongest the roads," he added.

CII's logistics panel member Anthony Gaskell said that the feeder has a capacity to carry 102 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) each time it travels between both the ports.

He said that the service will help boost import and export from the MPT.
The MPT, situated 40 kms away from here and 15 km away from state's Verna Industrial Estate has been importing and exporting 20,000 TEUs annually, while major cargo is transported by road, Gaskell said.
He said the travel time between both the ports is 30 hours, which is similar even if the cargo is carried by road or by the sea.

The feeder service, Gaskell said, would benefit pharmaceutical and engineering industries.
Maganlal said such feeder service would help the financial feasibility for the companies to invest in Goa.
"This is a good news for the industry. It will ensure that Goa is promoted as an attractive destination for the industrial investment," he added.