APMT head, Indian shipping officials meet

APMT head, Indian shipping officials meet    APM Terminals last week said it is expecting significant growth in the Indian container shipping market in coming years.
   The terminal operating arm of the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group manages two terminals in the country, including the newest facility at the Nhava Sheva port complex, Indian's largest container gateway.
   'As one of the most robust and important emerging economies, India is certainly an area of great interest in the shipping industry, and a nation in which we see tremendous potential for growth in the port industry,' APM Terminals Chief Executive Kim Fejfer said in a statement.

Fejfer

   In the first quarter of 2010, container volumes at South Asian ports surged 25.6 percent, faster than the 15 percent growth recorded worldwide in container traffic, the company said. Its Nhava Sheva terminal, called Gateway Terminals India, ended fiscal year 2009-2010 on March 31 with container volume up 20 percent to 1.75 million TEUs, compared to the previous year, even though the Indian economy grew 8 percent.
   Demand has been so high through Nhava Sheva that a number of carriers — including APMT sister company Maersk Line — have instituted congestion fees for shipments movement through the port near Mumbai.
   Another APMT terminal, at Pipavav in the northwestern state of Gujart, saw volume spike 64 percent to 600,000 TEUs, in the last fiscal year.
   Fejfer, who also met with government officials in New Delhi, including Minister of Shipping G.K. Vasan, said infrastructure continues to be an area of concern for shippers and port operators, as current road and rail networks strain under the sharply increasing demands for linking ports to interior industrial and commercial centers. Fejfer's discussions focused on infrastructure support and a commitment to work together to aid India's growth.