Ahmedabad: Mundra Port, operated by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), has marked a milestone by anchoring one of the world's longest container ships, the MV MSC Hamburg. It is the same size as four football fields - spanning 399 meters in length and 54 meters in width.
The MV MSC Hamburg, built in 2015, boasts an impressive carrying capacity of 15,908 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). The Mundra Marine Team at APSEZ played a crucial role in ensuring the safe berthing of the ship. By carefully considering the complex conditions of the vessel and live weather conditions, they accurately predicted the clearance required for its smooth docking, reported NDTV.
Its arrival at Mundra Port is being hailed as the port's capabilities and reaffirms its position as a prominent maritime hub. It also coincided with the ten-year anniversary of the joint venture between the Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Adani International Container Terminal Pvt Ltd.
Mundra Port, situated on the northern shores of the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat, is India's first private port and the largest container port in the country. It operates under the umbrella of APSEZ, a subsidiary of the Adani Group. With 26 berths and two single-point moorings, the port has an annual capacity to handle 248.82 million metric tonnes (MMT) of cargo. It accommodates dedicated terminals for various cargo and commodity types, making it India's biggest commercial port by volume. Mundra Port handles a wide range of cargo, including dry bulk, break bulk, project cargo, liquid, containers, automobiles, and crude oil. In the fiscal year 2020-21 alone, it handled a staggering 144.4 MMT of cargo.
The recent milestone follows a series of successes for Adani Ports. In the financial year 2022-23, the company witnessed significant growth in revenue and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). Consolidated revenue rose by 20.3% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 33,198 crore, while consolidated EBITDA increased by 20.2% YoY to Rs 11,472 crore.
APSEZ also set a new record by handling over 120 million metric tonnes (MMT) of rail cargo in the financial year 2022-23, demonstrating growth in coal, container, and liquid cargo traffic. Moreover, the company recently divested its 80% stake in Myanmar International Terminals (MTI) to International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) for $203 million, marking a strategic move in its portfolio.
In April 2023, the company sold its stake in MTI and reported the highest-ever monthly cargo handling of 32.3 MMT in April 2023, driven by the growth in coal, container, and liquid cargo traffic.