The New Mangalore Port recently handled its first main line container vessel of the current fiscal. According to an official release by New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT), the vessel, m.v. Kota Hauls of Pacific International Lines (PIL), was carrying raw cashew from East Africa, which was discharged at the Port on December 26. In all, 306 boxes of cashew were unloaded before the vessel sailed out on the morning of December 27. The entire operation took a record 11 hours, according to Exim News Service.
Transit time between East Africa and NMPT has been reduced to 9-10 days due to main line vessels calling directly at the Port.
Direct calls of main line vessels at NMPT have helped increase container cargo handling at the Port, the release highlighted. Box traffic is expected to gain momentum with the arrival of more such vessels and should grow further during the forthcoming coffee season, it added.
NMPT is among the few Port's witnessing positive traffic growth in the current fiscal. Through the year so far, it has handled 27.01 million tonnes (mt) of cargo, as against 24.23 mt during the corresponding period of last year, a growth rate of 11.49 per cent.
Seamaster Shipping Logistics of the Seaways Group was the vessel agent and Delta Marine Logistics Ltd the stevedore.
