
The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) at Navi Mumbai (formerly known as the NhavaSheva Port) isIndia&rsquo;s No. 1 container port handling 55% ofthe container cargo across allmajor ports in India.Commissioned on 26th May 1989, JNPT occupies a prominent place among the most modern ports in India.It is the second youngest and one of the most modern major ports of the country Initially, JNPort was planned to be a &lsquo;satellite port&rsquo; to the Mumbai Port with a purpose to decongest traffic. In the pre-reform days, Mumbai port faced a lot of issues like shallowness of the channel,congestion on roads and railways through the Mumbai city linking the port to its hinterland, as well as labour problems. The Port&rsquo;s incapability of handling the expanding volume of modern cargo directed to the west coast,eventually led to JN Port becoming an independent port in 1989.The port&rsquo;s construction is one of the technical marvels of the country as it was built on marshy soil in arecord time of just three-and-a-half years. To upkeep the beauty of the nearby historical Elephanta Caves and surroundings, the management made use of contemporary, sophisticated instruments while doing away with rock blasting. The total land area inpossession of JNPT measures to 2,987 hectares with enough backup area for developing additional facilities for future maritime requirements of the country. It was built with an investment of Rs.1,109crores, out of which Rs.956.97 crores were obtained as loans from various funding agencies, with the World Bank being one of the major contributors.Today, JNPT is a fully mechanised port that uses the latest technology in handling cargo at the terminals. JNPT is one of the pioneers in running its day-to-day operations with the help of Information Technology (IT), including Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS). JNPT enjoys very good road and rail linkages with the hinterlands as well as important business centres like Thane, Nashik and Ahmedabad, which facilitate excellent port-industry interface. It is characterised by highly automated and round the clock operations and has immense potential and capacity to develop India&rsquo;s first major hub port.JNPT has chartered India&rsquo;s international trade to a glorious course of success and achievements,breaking all records and creating new benchmarks. It handled 66.0 million tonnes of total cargo during the financial year 2017-18.The operating income for FY 2017-18 amounts to Rs.1,890.88 crores compared to Rs.1,700.97crores during FY 2016-17. The port handled about 4.83 million TEUs in the FY 2017-18. JN Port has firmly anchored itself as the major catalyst for the trade and commerce in the country and is strongly committed to providing seamless services to the world that docks here.
