Booming auto production in India has spawned a new ro-ro terminal that has opened in Pipavav in the northwestern state of Gujarat.
The terminal is jointly operated by NYK Auto Logistics (India) and Gujarat Pipavav Port Ltd, a subsidiary of APM Terminals.
The first shipment of 1,380 Figo Aspire cars manufactured at Ford’s new facility in Sanand, Gujarat, were loaded onto NYK’s Grand Dahlia on 26 August. Car makers including Ford are planning to increase exports from the west coast and Pipavav is expected to become a hub for surging exports.
The terminal, which is equipped with a pre-delivery inspection centre, can handle 250,000 vehicles annually.
General Motors and Tata Motors have production facilities in Gujarat while Maruti Suzuki, India’s leading automaker, is in the process of opening a new manufacturing centre, said Sandeep Chawla, executive director of NYK Auto Logistics (India).
“Not only Gujarat, but we hope to handle vehicles rolling out of facilities in the north as Pipavav is ideally placed as a hub port for exports,” Chawla told IHS Maritime.
Hitherto auto shipments in Gujarat were confined mainly to Adani Ports’ Mundra facility. As vehicle production is poised to rise, the timing of the launch of the new facility in Pipavav is ideal, Chawla said.
“With the launch of the Pipavav ro-ro terminal, the NYK Group is set to provide complete outbound logistics for finished cars from automobile clusters in northern and western India,” the company said in a press release.
This post was sourced from IHS Maritime 360: View the original article here.
