Weekly container service from Mormugao port may restart

Panaji: Bringing hope to exporters and importers in Goa and neighbouring districts, multi-modal logistics firm, Unifeeder, has expressed strong interest in restarting the weekly feeder service for containerised cargo at Mormugao port.

“We are exploring all opportunities to restart the feeder service at Mormugao port and connect it to Mundra, which is one of the largest transshipment ports today. Most of the main shipping lines operate out of Mundra to the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. We are working out how to add Goa to our network,” said regional director at Unifeeder India, C M Muraleedharan.

Unifeeder was the only container line feeder service operating between MPT and Colombo port. The service was discontinued in Aug 2021 due to a lack of mobile harbour cranes and insufficient cargo volumes. Most of Goa’s containerised exports are transported via road or via the Balli container terminal operated by Konkan Railway to the Nhava Sheva port in Mumbai.

However, the Nhava Sheva port is facing constraints due to congestion and a lack of containers.

Manufacturing firms could see a 70% reduction in their road transportation costs if the movement of cargo for import and export is handled at Mormugao. It could also reduce the overall transportation time by 7-10 days if the feeder service is directly linked to the Mundra port.

“We will start with one feeder service and can gradually increase the frequency depending on the container volumes,” said Shamil Ahmed, MD of Delta Ports Mormugao Terminal. “From the responses we have got, the potential for cargo from Goa is quite good. We will also be tapping Belagavi and other areas, which will help improve the quantum of cargo and the frequency of the feeder vessels.”

Delta Ports Mormugao Terminal operates berths 10 and 11.

Mormugao port deputy chairman Vinayak Rao said the port is ready to facilitate quicker turnaround times for vessels, including a dedicated window for the container vessel to enter the port limits and berth. Rao also said that the port could look at concessions for feeder vessels until container volumes stabilise.

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