New Mangalore Port expects more mainline ships carrying raw cashew

The New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) is hopeful of handling more mainline container vessels from cashew-growing regions in Africa.

Mr S. Gopalakrishna, Traffic Manager of NMPT, told Business Line that the first mainline vessel of the current fiscal will call at New Mangalore Port on May 17.

The vessel – m.v. Belgieen Express – will bring around 450 containers of raw cashew from West Africa.

He said the port is hopeful of attracting more mainline container vessels during the current financial year.

Five mainline vessels

During 2011-12, the total raw cashew handling at the port stood at 1.24 lakh tonnes from 6,534 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers. Five mainline vessels with raw cashew cargo called at NMPT during 2011-12. This was apart from raw cashew being imported through feeder vessels.

The total raw cashew import was 1.04 lakh tonnes from 5,457 TEUs in 2010-11.

However, the port was able to attract eight mainline vessels with raw cashews from Africa during that year.

Mr K. Prakash Rao, former President of Karnataka Cashew Manufacturers' Association, said the first mainline vessel of the current fiscal will bring raw cashew from Benin in West Africa.

Transportation time

The calling of mainline vessels at the port helps in bringing down the time of transportation of raw cashew from African countries to New Mangalore.

Mr Gopalakrishna said that mainline vessels bring raw cashew cargo from West African countries within 21 days and from East African countries within eight to 10 days.

If the cashew processing industries import it through Colombo, it will take more than 40-45 days for the cargo to reach Mangalore.

The mainline vessels reduce that time, he added.

vinayakaj@thehindu.co.in

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