Choke Points by Alimahomed-Wilson Jake; Ness Immanuel;

Author:Alimahomed-Wilson, Jake; Ness, Immanuel;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pluto Press

Mumbai ports: a glance

Amid increases in the size and importance of trade ushered in by the GVCS, the currently held view favors major reforms in the Indian ports, which would alter their very character. The impetus for the corporatization of the major ports of India was provided in the early 1990s, when India’s economy underwent a liberalization process.14 In 1996 GOI invited private-sector participation in major ports of the country through joint ventures. In 2010 it set up a National Transport Development Policy Committee (NTDPC) to overhaul the country’s transport policy.15 Among other things, the committee recommended changes to the port sector. It looked at various aspects of port development including the creation of megaports, shifts in the port governance pattern, usage of port land, the impetus to coastal shipping, new stevedoring and shore handling policy, and benchmarking of best practices from across the globe.16 It has cited recommendations from the World Bank for such a transformation at regular intervals.

This makes it essential to look at the current statistics regarding the ports of Mumbai. The cargo that is handled in the major ports of the country mostly comprises pol (petroleum, oils and lubricants), coal, containerized cargo, and iron ore and other raw materials for the country’s manufacturing industries. Table 8.1 summarizes the traffic handled by Mumbai Port and JNPT from 2011–16. It is instructive to compare Mumbai Port and the jnp, since both are located in Mumbai, albeit jnp is considered to be a modern container port while Mumbai Port is nicknamed the “ailing giant.” The figures show however that there has been a consistent rise in the traffic handled by Mumbai Port, while JNPT has experienced more or less constant traffic figures.

Some performance indicators for these ports are given in Table 8.2. The average pre-berthing detention period in port for Mumbai is less than for JNPT. However, the average turnaround time for Mumbai is higher than for JNPT. The capacity utilization for Mumbai appears to be the highest among all the major ports of India, and the average output per ship berth day is greater for JNPT than Mumbai.

The Ministry of Shipping is also trying to augment trade and business through various mechanisms such as one-time trading licenses, a web-based port community system, and standardized bidding documents. The Sagarmala project, initiated by GOI on recommendations of the National Transport Development Policy Committee (NTDPC), undertakes various aspects of transformation of ports in the country through initiatives that look into port modernization, connectivity enhancement, port-linked industrialization, and coastal community development. A key aspect is that all these recommendations of the government invariably ignore any discussions on the labor aspects of the change process.

Table 8.1 Traffic handled in two major ports of Mumbai (India) (in million tonnes)

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