Service users triple at APM Terminals Mumbai

To enhance India’s access to global logistics chain, APM Terminals Mumbai has embraced ‘Direct Port Delivery (DPD)’ service initiated by the Indian government as part of its ‘ease of doing business programme’.

The streamlined DPD protocol can result in substantial savings of time and money for importers by reducing container dwell times after vessel discharge. In the past, import containers were sent to Container Freight Stations ( CFS) one to 1.5 days after arriving by vessel. Depending on the completion of import procedures and clearances with shipping lines, custom house agents, customs, consignees and CFS operators, the cargo is then delivered to the end user after an average dwell time of nine to 10 days. With DPD, importers can bypass these through a streamlined procedure, allowing import containers to be delivered to the end user directly from the port with an average dwell time of only 1.5 days.

“We were among the first terminal operators in India to offer DPD service in 2006 and since then have continued to support the reforms and initiatives of the Indian Ministry of Shipping and Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNP), as well as the Jawaharlal Nehru Customs House,” stated Kamal Jain, CEO, APM Terminals Mumbai.

“We have introduced several trade-friendly services ourselves as well to improve ease of doing business. This includes initiatives such as paperless transaction, delivery of import cargo within six hours of vessel discharge, RFID tracking, inter-terminal transfer through virtual gates, integrated rail sidings and improved gate turnaround times. We are working closely with customers to introduce other new services as well,” added, Ravi Gaitonde, COO, APM Terminals Mumbai.

To enable greater efficiencies in the overall transportation and logistics supply chain, the Indian Central Board of Excise and Customs, merged the ‘ Accredited Client Programme’ with the recently introduced ‘Authorised Economic Operator’ programme. This resulted into extension of the DPD service to small and medium scale importers, who account for a significant portion of India’s world-leading GDP growth of 7.6 per cent in 2016. Containerised trade has expanded at a CAGR of approximately 10 per cent.