JNPT’s volumes dip to lowest in three years

India’s largest container terminal JNPT endured a tough 2020 as volumes dipped below 5 million TEU for the first time in three years in the financial year ending March 2021, following a record 7% dip.

JNPT handled 4.676 million TEU in 2020-2021 compared to 5.031 million TEU during 2019-2020. Moreover, JNPCT – run by the state-owned JNPT witnessed the biggest plunge in volumes 24.32% to 5,44,027 TEU from 7,18,863 TEU in FY20. At terminals operated by private entities also saw a decline with Gateway Terminals India (GTI), operated by AP Moller Terminals, handling 1.668 million TEU, a drop of 15.94% from the financial year in 2020.

However, JNPT saw total container traffic in March this year of 527,792 TEU, the highest volume handled in any month since its inception. March traffic registered a 23.53% increase in total cargo volumes, to 7.33 million tonnes. The average turnaround time of vessels has also improved by 2.62% from 29.42 hours to 28.64 hours and of container vessels by 2.01% from 25.82 hours in FY20 to 25.30 hours in FY 21.

Sanjay Sethi in his statement lauded the efforts of the staff and the stakeholders for a strong performance in the wake of the pandemic. “Our high-performance numbers are a validation of our continuous efforts to empower trade and make India a foremost player in the global maritime sector,” said Sethi.

Apart from the March 2021 figures and the turnaround time of vessels which showed minimal change, JNPT’s consolidated cargo handling, including containers, dived by 5.32% in the current financial year from 68.4449 million tonnes in FY 20 to 64.809 million tonnes this year.

Sheuly Ghosh
Indian Correspondent