PSA’s Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals Pvt Ltd (BMCT) is continuing on the growth path with the arrival of Hapag-Lloyd’s Express Rome at the terminal, marking BMCT’s second weekly service call and its first direct Europe service.
The 10,114-TEU, 122,961-DWT vessel is 350 metres long and operates on the Indian Ocean Service (IOS) linking India and the Middle East directly with the North European ports of Antwerp, Hamburg and London. Its inaugural call at BMCT will be followed by three sister ships from Hapag-Lloyd, plus three and one vessel(s), respectively, from service partners Hamburg Süd and CMA CGM.
Approximately 3,700 TEUs were handled during the call at BMCT. Rail containers for export were earlier received at BMCT via inter-terminal transfer from the other terminals at JN Port, whilst the first direct trains from BMCT will depart this week with containers for North India and many other destinations.
During a ceremony at the terminal to welcome the vessel, BMCT’s CEO, Mr Suresh Amirapu, said, “We are honoured to receive this early vote of confidence from Hapag-Lloyd and its IOS partners. With one kilometre of contiguous quay, 16.5 metres of alongside draught and six Super post-Panamax cranes, BMCT can handle some of the largest container vessels afloat. Three more cranes will be in operation by July, increasing our capacity and enhancing our service offering.”
Also present at the inaugural call was Mr Dheeraj Bhatia, Managing Director of Hapag-Lloyd India. He commented, “The start of BMCT is a great milestone in the Indian port infrastructure space. The addition of this new capacity will help in increasing efficiency and offer improved turnaround times. We expect this capacity to further help the cause of Direct Port Delivery from the terminal. PSA is a trusted partner of Hapag-Lloyd and with this confidence we have entrusted them to handle one of our premier services from India to Europe.”
