India’s Port of Jawaharlal Nehru agreed to recall a decree, issued last week, requiring ship agents to arrange for mooring services for vessels calling at the west coast hub.
The decision follows vigorous protests from port users and the local ship agents’ community, under the aegis of the Mumbai-Nhava Sheva Ship Agents’ Association.
"We have decided to withdraw the recent trade notice on mooring crew for berthing, un-berthing and shifting of vessels. The port will continue to provide mooring services on its own,” said a senior port official.
The port authority earlier attributed the planned move to an acute shortage of trained staff for such operations, after its initial proposal for a gradual privatization of mooring gangs was turned down by shipping lines and agents.
The association said agents were not in a position to undertake such critical jobs, given their lack of operational expertise and experience.
Nehru is India's biggest container port, moving nearly sixty percent of the country’s total containerized traffic. In fiscal 2008-09, consolidated throughput at its three terminals was 3.95 million 20-foot equivalent units compared with a record 4.06 million TEUs the previous year. Volume for the April-January period totaled 3.3 million TEUs.
Current expansion plans for the port include a fourth box terminal and a 330-meter berth extension project, doubling annual capacity to over 8 million TEUs from 4.17 million TEUs now.