JNPA says truck congestion at port terminals cleared, traffic monitored round the clock

Container cargo handling has risen sharply at all terminals of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA). Even so, the temporary traffic pressure of the past few days is now fully under control. JNPA said there is currently no congestion at the gate of any terminal at the port and container trailers are moving smoothly.

According to JNPA, a large number of container ships arrived at the port together in the past few days. At the same time, export cargo from more than 15 vessels reached the terminal gates in the same period, bunching up the arrival of cargo. The activity grew further over the weekend, on Friday, October 2, and Saturday, October 3. For a while, queues of vehicles built up at the terminal gates and container trailers faced slight delays.

Seeing the situation, JNPA and the terminal operators concerned took immediate steps. They made additional arrangements in coordination with container freight stations and the local traffic authority. More staff and equipment were deployed and gate automation was also improved. As a result, the congestion cleared and movement at the port returned to normal from the morning of October 4.

Pressure on the yard has also eased. According to JNPA, the yard held a peak of 1,20,173 TEU of cargo on October 2, when 66.89 per cent of its capacity was occupied. With faster pickup and dispatch of cargo thereafter, the yard held 94,519 TEU by October 6, and utilisation fell to 52.61 per cent. The yards of all terminals now have ample space and cargo handling is running without obstruction.

Port operations and the entry gates of all terminals are functioning properly at present. JNPA said traffic at the port is being directly monitored round the clock. Traffic on the approach roads to the port and at the terminal gates is normal. JNPA said there is no obstruction on the key routes for cargo movement, and it gave this assurance to stakeholders in the business sector and to transporters.

With the rise in ship arrivals, container cargo handling has also increased significantly. Daily sea container handling was recorded at 35,307 TEU on October 4 and 32,972 TEU on October 5, well above the port's usual daily average. Over the weekend, 16 to 17 container ships were working at the various terminals at the same time.

JNPA also gave figures for movement through the terminal gates. On October 2, 21,796 TEU, or 18,391 trucks, moved, and on October 3, 20,684 TEU, or 17,535 trucks. After the measures were taken, movement of 19,294 TEU, or 16,332 trucks, on October 4 and 16,972 TEU, or 15,045 trucks, on October 5 was handled without difficulty. With these measures, the average truck turnaround time across the port has come down to 1.47 hours.