India terminals of PSA Int’l handle record container volumes in December

Mumbai, January 5

Singapore’s PSA International Pte Ltd said its three container terminals in India handled record volumes of 257,347 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in December as trade re-bounded after the impact of the pandemic.

PSA-run Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals (BMCT) at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) handled its highest-ever monthly throughput of 94,728 TEUs in December.

Chennai International Terminals Pvt Ltd, its facility at Chennai Port Trust, handled 93,514 TEUs in December, PSA said in a statement.

PSA’s terminals at SPM Port Trust in Kolkata and at VO Chidambaranar Port Trust in Tamil Nadu handled 47,541 TEUs and 21,564 TEUs respectively in December.

“All PSA India terminals operated uninterrupted throughout 2020, handling every scheduled vessel call and many more unscheduled ones, thanks to the unstinting efforts of our staff, contractors and stakeholders working steadfastly and safely alongside each other,” said Mike Formoso, Managing Director, PSA India.

On January 3, BMCT added a new weekly service to its list with the docking of ‘MV Wan Hai 507’ as part of the joint Wan Hai Lines / Interasia Lines CI2 / ICI service.

“PSA Mumbai is equipped with the latest technology to offer customers fast turnaround of their vessels and is also well-connected by major highways and rail networks to key markets in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and the National Capital Region of India,” a spokesman for Wan Hai Lines said.

By further strengthening its current service scope among India and Far East corridors, PSA Mumbai will enhance Wan Hai Lines’ market coverage to better serve customers’ needs, he said.

CI2 service is jointly operated with Interasia Lines (IAL) by using six vessels with nominal capacity of 4,250 TEU ―four deployed by Wan Hai Lines and two by IAL.

“With this new service call from Wan Hai and Interasia Lines, 2021 is off to a strong start and we will also see new products and developments for PSA India, including enhancements of the ODEX digital online payment solution earlier launched in September 2020,” Formoso added.