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

Mr 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 cargoes 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 kms away from NH 17. The rail and sea modes of connectivity ensure that the port effectively contributes in de-congesting the roads. Our port at Dharamtar is fully capable to handle containerised cargoes for the trade. The port can offer complete Container & Cargo logistics services, warehousing and container repair services. We will be working very closely with BMCT and the trade to re-energise this sector.”

BMCT’s CEO Mr Suresh Amirapu, said, “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.”