Mangalore, December 19: The New Mangalore Port received the maiden rake with 70 containers run by Container Corporation of India(CONCOR) on Saturday.
This is the first time a rake with containers ply between Bangalore to Mangalore. The rake was received by Dr. P. Tamilvanan, Chairman and Senior officers from NMPT in the presence of Raveen Kumar Reddy, Chief General Manager, CONCOR, Chennai Division and other senior officials from CONCOR & Railways.
Out of the 70 containers, 40 are from M/s NYK logistics and remaining 30 by CONCOR. The entire consignment was discharged within 1 hr 20 min.
Commencement of rake loaded with containers between Bangalore to Mangalore is a boon to the exporters and importers from the hinterland of Karnataka which will ease the congestion and pressure on the roads, especially in the ghat section. This much awaited dream of the trade became a reality when a final announcement was made by CONCOR in the course of the Trade Meet held at Bangalore on December 9.
Now the exporters and importers can make use of this facility which will enable the smooth movement of containers to and from the Port.
The container traffic at the Port has witnessed a steep growth over the last few years. From 9646 TEUs handled during 2005-06, the container traffic has tremendously grown to 40,158 TEUs in 2010-11 with a growth rate of 316%.
The current year 2011-12 also shows positive growth by handling 32,159 TEUS (Upto Nov.2011) as against 26,640 TEUs handled during the corresponding period of last year registering a growth rate of 21%. The growth is mainly due to the increased handling of coffee, raw cashew, wax candles, reefer cargo, etc. Now the frequency of the container vessels calling at the Port has increased to one vessel in every week, which will help the trade to move their cargo faster to the respective destinations at less ocean freight charges. Arrival of Main Line vessels from West Africa has benefited the trade. The advantage of Main Line vessel directly calling at the Port is the lesser transit time and lesser handling cost.
With the commencement of container movement through rakes, the container traffic is expected to grow further during the coming months.
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