New Mangalore Port bustling with activities, as mainline vessels lining up

Soucre: NMPT

Main Line container vessel of M/s Pacific International Lines (PIL) – M.V. KOTA HALUS from East Africa (Port Matwara) called at New Mangalore Port on Dec 2.

According to the port’s Traffic Department sources, this is the fifth main line vessel which called at the Port during the current financial year.

The vessel commenced its operation of unloading 175 Boxes of raw cashew to various cashew processing units situated in and around Mangalore. While sailing back to East Africa enroute Jebel Ali in Dubai, the vessel expected to carry export containers.

Another Main Line vessel M.V. KOTA NALUS is expected to call at the Port during next week and M.V. KOTA HARAM, again a mainline vessel, is expected to dock New Mangalore Port on Dec 23.

Both these vessels will be sailing back to East Africa with export containers from the port enroute Singapore.

“The advantage of mainline vessel directly calling at the port is the reduced transit time and economical handling cost for the regional EXIM players,” a statement from NMPT has said.

It may be noted that the voyage from East Africa to New Mangalore will be only 9-10 days whereas vessels via Colombo will take 28 days.

Commenting on the lining up of mainline vessels to the west coast’s fast growing major port, Dr. P. Tamilvanan, Chairman, NMPT, said that it was due to the port management’s sustained marketing efforts to bring more business.

He also expressed happiness over the overwhelming response from the mainline operators (MLOs) and users (EXIM fraternity) by tapping the advantageous position of lesser transit time and lesser handling cost from New Mangalore Port.

“From a humble beginning with one vessel during 2007-08, now it is the 36^th mainline vessel calling at the Port”- he added.  M/s Seamaster Shipping Logistics (Seaways group) are the agents of the vessel.

With the regular calling of mainline vessels, the container traffic at the Port is steadily growing.

During the current financial year 2013-14(upto December) 33,422 TEUs handled as against 31,272 TEUs handled during the corresponding period of previous year with a growth rate of 6.88 %.

Furthermore, the Port has also witnessed the handling of large parcel size timber vessel, M.V. STADT SOLINGEN loaded with 28,150 tonnes of timber (26,525 pieces) which called at the Port on Nov 13 and sailed out on Nov 29 after discharging the entire consignment. This is the largest parcel size of timber ever handled at the Port in a vessel.  M/s Dix Shipping are the agents of the timber-laden vessel.