The terminal’s 300 metre quay, which has an alongside draught of 14 metres, is capable of handling up to 400,000TEUs per annum.
These, ports, it notes, are guided by the 1963 Major Ports Trust Act, which has resulted in “inflexibility in decision making” leading to retarded growth and inefficiency. For the last five years, there has been an annual increase in container movements of 15% per annum, while turnaround times have dropped from 5.7 days in 1998-99 to 3.5 days in 2003-04.
The report recommends, however, a move towards a landlord authority system overseeing a number of private terminal operations, commencing with Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT). This should stimulate investment and bring standards up to internationally recognised levels.
