BMCT and PNP sign MoU to reopen container barge service between JNPT and Dharamtar

September 28, 2017: Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals Private Limited (BMCT) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with PNP Maritime Services Private Limited (PNP), a multi-modal transport and logistics operator, to handle a regular container barge service between Dharamtar Port and the terminal from the end of 2017.

The service will seamlessly connect containers between Dharamtar and container vessels berthed at BMCT. The barge service to Dharamtar was a mainstay for cargo owners in the area until the lack of port capacity at JNPT forced its closure in 2012. With the opening of BMCT at the end of 2017, PNP will restart a daily barge service between BMCT and their facility in Dharamtar with an 80-TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) barge, offering cargo owners cost and time savings, as well as a more environmentally friendly and reliable transportation option.

Sachin Tipnis, director of PNP, said, “I look forward to the commencement of the service. Restarting the barge service between BMCT and Dharamtar will provide a major boost to shippers in this area. This is a large cargo catchment area with a market of over 80,000 TEUs annually. Together with the increasing amount of DPD (Direct Port Delivery), this service will allow cargo owners to transfer their loads faster and more cost-effectively than via truck, as well as being a more environmentally friendly option. Dharamtar is a fully functional trimodal port and is located just 2 km away from NH 17. The rail and sea mode of connectivity ensures that the port effectively contributes in de-congesting the roads.”

“Providing barging services to key cargo zones such as Dharamtar is one of the many reasons why BMCT will be a game changer for India’s port and logistics market, given its unprecedented size, scale and dedicated infrastructural links. We remain on track to start operations at the end of 2017 and look forward to partnering PNP on this initiative – one that is fully aligned with the government’s Sagar Mala project of port-led development,” added Suresh Amirapu, CEO, BMCT.