RAJYA SABHA
Jawaharlal Nehru
Port at Navi Mumbai is the largest container port in India equiped
with state-of-the-art cargo handling facilities with particular
thrust on handling of containerized cargo. As per the information
contained in the July, 2002 issue of "Cargo Systems", a U.K. based
publication, Jawaharlal Nehru Port is in position no.40 amongst
the top 100 Container Ports in the world.
Normally, only general
cargo is containerisable since the liquid and solid cargoes are
effectively handled and carried in bulk as it is economical and
faster. The aggregate cargo handled by major ports during 2001-02
consisted of 53.46 MT general cargo of which 37.22 MT, including
small parcels of dry bulk and liquid bulk cargoes also, representing
about 70%, were shipped in containers.
The container handling
capacity in major ports at the end of the Ninth Five Year Plan
period in March, 2002 was 37.00 MTPA. During the Tenth Plan (2002-2007)
period additional capacities at the major ports are envisaged
to be created for container handling to the extent of 24.50 MTPA,
mainly through private sector investment, to cope with the anticipated
growth in container traffic.
This was stated by
Shri Su. Thirunavukkarasar, Minister of State for Shipping in
a written reply to a question by Shri Prem Chand Gupta in Rajya
Sabha today.
