NAVI MUMBAI: PSA’s Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals Private Limited ( "BMCT" ) received its first container vessel call with the berthing of CMA-CGM’s “Centaurus” at the terminal on 2nd Feb. The 3,426 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) vessel operates on the Swahili Express Service ( "SWAX" ) linking 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.
The call of the “Centaurus”, following the earlier receipt of containers by road and rail, has brought BMCT’s facilities into full operation.
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 Jawaharlal Nehru Port, BMCT is capable of accommodating some of the largest container vessels afloat and offers unrivalled flexibility and scale for shipping line customers and port users. With three more quay cranes arriving in the first half of 2018, three more in 2019 and the start of Phase 2 construction soon after to bring the terminal to an ultimate capacity of 4.8 million TEUs, BMCT continues to power ahead with the creation of India’s largest container.
Speaking at a ceremony held on board the “Centaurus”, BMCT’s CEO Mr. Suresh Amirapu, said, “We are happy to launch our first service and immensely grateful to CMA-CGM for entrusting us with SWAX. By combining BMCT’s expansive facilities with high levels of efficiency and flexibility, we intend to provide our partners with a strong platform for growth as well as significantly boost volumes at Jawaharlal Nehru Port.”
Ms. Audrey Dolhen, Managing Director of CMA-CGM India, said, “We are delighted to be the first to anchor at BMCT. The launch of this facility was eagerly awaited to facilitate the much needed capacity addition and infrastructural boost in Nhava Sheva. PSA is a global partner of the CMA CGM group and we are happy to extend our collaboration in India as well. We wish all success for the start of BMCT,” informed a release.
