Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), has received 12 initial bids from transporters on a tender for evacuating import containers from the four terminals of India’s busiest container port to five locations and their nodes.
The tender is part of a plan to speed up imports through the direct port delivery (DPD) programme and, thereby, cut transaction cost and time.
The tender — a first of its kind in India — involves selecting as many as seven big road transporters who will deploy some 2,665 tractor trailers (TTs) — both owned and aggregated — for evacuating containers landing at the port to locations in Gujarat, Ahmednagar, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Indore and Hyderabad, Goa, Bengaluru and near Mumbai over distances ranging from 40 km to 1,100 km. The bids are being scrutinised on technical and financial parameters, a spokesman for JNPT said.
In the DPD process, the port is eliminating one key stakeholder — container freight stations (CFS) — and its role is now assumed by other stakeholders — terminals, shipping lines and transporters, according to JNPT.
“The transporter will play a critical role in the success of the DPD model. In fact, the role goes much beyond the scope of a normal transporter. The transporter has to co-ordinate with terminals for efficient fleet deployment. It has to take the responsibility of cargo, insurance, prevent theft/damage to container, and ensure safe delivery,” JNPT said.
The four terminals at JNPT currently provide containers to the trucks on the best pick model — 33 CFSs and 50 ICDs (inland container depots) are linked to the port.
“It would not be possible for the terminals to stack containers client-wise as the number of DPD clients is very high. JNPT has limitations to achieve higher percentages of DPD due to constraints in yard area for segregation,” the spokesman said.
According to the transport solution proposed by JNPT, all DPD containers will be distributed route-wise. Port terminal operators will arrange DPD import boxes route-wise in separate stacking area.
JNPT will not enter into any direct commercial arrangement with the transporter. It will be mandatory for importers to hire the selected transporters for taking the DPD import delivery by entering into a commercial arrangement with them. The successful transporter will have the exclusive right to clear the DPD containers from the port for the corresponding route for which it is selected.
Importers will not be allowed to use their own fleet.
The transportation arrangement will be for an initial period of three years with a provision to extend it by two years.