Mumbai Port's Container Terminal to handle Dry Bulk Cargo

Mumbai Port Trust has allowed berthing of dry bulk cargo vessel at its OCT (Offshore Container) Terminal on trial basis following persuasion by members of Mumbai and Nhava Sheva Ship Agents Association to overcome congestion.

The two vessels that were allowed to berth at the OCT Terminal were MV Julia Oldendroff and MV Interlink Fidelity.

Welcoming the initiative by Mumbai Port to allow berthing of dry bulk vessels at the OCT Terminal, Captain Vivek Anand, President, MANSA said, “We appreciate the approach by Mumbai Port for taking a pro-active step towards ease of doing business. The congestion for berths at Mumbai Port has resulted in delay for vessels and also affected their turnaround time.”

It may be recalled that in December last year, MANSA had sought berthing facilities at the Offshore Container Terminal for higher dimensional vessels carrying large parcels of pulses, steel and general cargo.

In a letter addressed by MANSA to the Chairman of Mumbai Port Trust then in December said, “These vessels cannot be accommodated and are required to be lightened at the Anchorage Port Lighterage Point.  Even after lightening, it is very difficult for them to be accommodated at the Harbour Wall Berths since they occupy more than one Berth and block all the remaining berths for other vessels.”

Such repeated occurrences have contributed to frequent congestion at the port. Hence, under such circumstances, over dimensional vessels be permitted to berth at OCT as a special case to circumvent under-due congestion at the port, the letter had then said.

The effective utilization of the OCT berth also holds significance to overcome congestion since the port has embarked upon repairing of harbor wall berths along with maintenance dredging, Captain Anand said.

Promoted by the Gammon group, the Offshore Container Terminal is the first and single largest container terminal project in the Mumbai Port under build operate and transfer (BOT) scheme, comprising of 700 meters’ quay length in the 1st phase extendable to 1050 meters subsequently.