“MV HONG AN”, the first direct mainline vessel, called at the New Mangalore Port on Thursday, after the port operationalised its dedicated container terminal.
The regular service vessel will operate between the westbound rotation of Chittagong- Colombo-Mangalore-Nhava Sheva-Mundra; and the eastbound leg to Jebel Ali-Khalifa Port, said a release. It is the only direct service for Indian exporters to Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi with seamless connections to the USA, Europe, South East Asia, and Africa.
NMP Authority chairman A.V. Ramana inaugurated the first Direct Mainline Service from New Mangalore Port by flagging off the container discharging from the vessel in presence of Sagar Dange, Head India Operations CMA-CGM; Ramanathan, Vice -President and Unit Head, JSW Mangalore Coal and Container Terminals, officers from NMPA, official’s from JSW-MCTPL, CMA-CGM, and Port Users.
The mainline service got introduced primarily as a result of the use of various productivity measures to free up berth time for new services through the establishment of a fixed window berthing policy and the extension of additional inducements in the form of commercial rebates on vessel-related costs.
Beneficial to shippers
The service will be a gamechanger in how shippers take their exports to the global markets in the fastest and most efficient ways. Besides leading to more sea route options, the service can seamlessly connect cargoes for air transfers from Dubai to destinations in Europe and the USA. Transit time gets reduced to half, from the earlier 13-15 days to Jebel to seven days.
With trans-shipment being avoided, the trade gets better ocean freight costs for their shipments. It also offers scope for develop time-sensitive commodities, including pharma, vegetable, fruits etc., which require direct sailing. The service gives major boost to exports from Karnataka, particularly agricultural products.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)