JNPT discusses forward steps to enhance trade efficiency at the Quarterly interactive meeting with stakeholders
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India’s premiere container port, is the only Indian Container Port to be listed amongst the top 30 Container Ports globally, as per the latest Lloyds Report. JNPT notched up five spots, to be 28th on the list, compared to its previous ranking.
The good news of rising up in the global ranking was shared by the Chairman at the quarterly interactive meeting with all stakeholders, organized at JNPT on Friday, January 18, 2019. This was the first stakeholder interactive meeting of the year 2019 and was attended by officials and representatives of Terminal Operators, CFSAI, CSLA, MANSA, INSA, AMTOI, Customs and various Shipping Lines. Another point of adulation at the meeting was, JNPT crossing the 5 Million TEUs handling milestone, in 2018.
Shri Sanjay Sethi, Chairman, JNPT and Shri Neeraj Bansal, Deputy Chairman, JNPT addressed the meeting and highlighted various measures taken in the recent months to further facilitate trade. The representatives appreciated the timely efforts and initiatives implemented by JNPT to enhance the operational efficiency of the port. They deliberated on new processes and the Chairman assured that all their suggestions will be taken under consideration and aptly implemented.
Speaking on the global ranking, Shri Sanjay Sethi, Chairman, JNPT said, “This is a validation to all the efforts and strategic initiatives being implemented at JNPT in order to enhance our overall port efficiency. Various new processes activated under the ‘ease of doing business’ initiative has not only helped in overall growth of the port business, but also allowed the EXIM trade to save time and cost which in return accentuated the growth story. Gaining operational efficiency is an on-going process and we are always looking for solutions to better our services so that the EXIM trade community benefits from it. I would like to thank all our stakeholders who are supporting us in this endeavour and together we are well on course towards achieving our goal to be amongst the top 10 container ports globally. We have already initiated various projects in order to scale up our port capacity and enhance our operational efficiency, to help us be at par with the world’s best ports.”
In the meeting, JNPT also launched their App service to facilitate better tracking and ease the trade process for their EXIM partners. The App will allow traders to access all the relevant information about their consignment and port related updates regarding traffic and weather, on their fingertips. The App will keep updating the relevant information at regular intervals, so that traders are abreast with the latest updates. The App will be available on Android and IoS, and was launched by the Chairman in presence of the stakeholders, during the quarterly meeting. The Chairman requested all stakeholders to use the app and share their feedback and recommendations regularly, so that the app can be upgraded as per the demand of the EXIM community.
Looking ahead, JNPT is already on a major expansion drive, with some key projects like, on-going project work on the mega 4th Terminal, developing a centralized Parking Plaza, improving the port connecting roads and widening of Highways and development of Coastal Berth. The Port is also implementing, specific processes at the operational level to make it standardized and more efficient across terminals, among many other initiatives in the pipeline.
India is gaining precedence as a favourable trade destination and initiatives at JNPT has been credited for helping India leverage its position in the World Bank Ranking in trading across the borders, from 146 to 80, a jump of 66 points. JNPT closed 2018 on a high note crossing the 5 Million TEUs traffic milestone and in December 2018 alone JNPT handled 4.45 Lakh TEUs which again is the highest volume of container handled recorded in a single month, at the port.
