Port group PSA has just completed the first stage of the Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal (BMCT), which is India’s largest container gateway, located in Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNP) in Maharashtra.
In 2014, PSA signed a 30-year contract to design, build, operate and finance the terminal, which is now able to begin serving the important industrial and manufacturing centres and cities in Northwest India.
Its reach also includes India’s largest hinterland with a population in excess of 400 million.
On January 30, BMCT received its first container arriving by road during a gate opening ceremony.
The inauguration ceremony of first container arriving by road was held at #JNPT's 4th container terminal by the hands of Shri Vivek Johari, commissioner of Custom pic.twitter.com/Na9fl3JUUi
— JNPT (@JNPort) January 30, 2018
On February 2, 2018, it was loaded on CMA CGM Centaurus, the first container vessel to call at the terminal, as part of the facility's trial.
First vessel berthed at the new 4th Container Terminal at JNPT as part of the trial operations pic.twitter.com/8F1j7q9WBL
— Ministry of Shipping (@shipmin_india) February 2, 2018
The 3,426 TEU vessel operates on the Swahili Express Service (SWAX), which links India and East Africa on a fixed day weekly schedule, together with three sister vessels from CMA CGM and one from service partner Emirates Shipping Line.
PSA declared BMCT operational after receiving containers by road and rail and the call of CMA CGM Centaurus.
More regular service calls are expected in the coming weeks.
With 1000 metres of berth, six super post-panamax cranes and the largest rail yard in JNP, BMCT is capable of accommodating some of the largest container vessels afloat.
Three more quay cranes will arrive in the first half of 2018, with three more in 2019.
BMCT will start Phase two construction soon after the deliveries to bring the terminal to an ultimate capacity of 4.8 million TEUs, making it India's largest container terminal.
When BMCT is fully completed, it will have a berth length of 2,000 metres and the deepest berths in JNP to handle large super post-panamax vessels.
It will also be equipped with the latest technology and equipment to offer customers fast turnaround of their vessels.
BMCT is well-connected by major highways and rail networks to key markets in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and the National Capital Region of India.
This will help JNPT to manage its rising in container volumes.
Container traffic at JNPort grew by 6.91% (April 2016 to January 2017) as compared to previous year (April 2017 to January 2018) #Monthlyperformance #AdvantageJNPT pic.twitter.com/QkYpU1vaSH
— JNPT (@JNPort) February 1, 2018
Container traffic at JNPort grew by 13.15% as compared to January 2017 #Monthlyperformance #AdvantageJNPT pic.twitter.com/ibYkwMzcXE
— JNPT (@JNPort) February 1, 2018
To handle the large volumes that will come through the terminal, BMCT has ordered a total of 36 Konecranes Noell RTG cranes and four Konecranes Noell RMG cranes.
PSA has also chosen to use the Oracle Cloud Applications platform at BMCT.
Oracle, an American multinational computer technology corporation, has developed its cloud applications to improve a businesses' performance through the management of customer engagement, human resources, resource planning, supply chains, Internet of Things (IoT) applications and software-as-a-service (SaaS) analytics.
