- The container operations were suspended at the Port following cyclone ‘Tauktae’ and the power outage caused thereof
- Rail container operations were commenced from May 22; while fertilizer rake loading started from May 25
- Partial non-container operations resumed from May 26 onwards and dry cargo vessel began operations from May 29 despite power outage
APM Terminals Pipavav (Gujarat Pipavav Port Ltd) resumed container operations on Tuesday with the Port berthing Transworld Group’s– SSL Brahmaputra. The Port had resumed other landside operations from May 22 onwards, while marine side operations waited following landfall of extremely severe cyclone ‘Tauktae’.
The power and communication network were severely impacted since the cyclone hit the Port on May 18. To ensure that customers are not impacted, the Port immediately arranged for alternate power source to commence the operation at the earliest. Relentless efforts by teams on ground and teams supporting remotely resulted in setting up mobile power source while taking utmost precautions in terms of safety of people and equipment. On the landside operations, Rail container operations were resumed from May 22 followed by fertilizer rake loading that began from May 25 onwards. Partial non-container operations resumed with effect from May 26 and dry cargo vessels started from May 29 onwards. The gate operations for export and import dry containers resumed in a controlled manner while live reefer is permitted without any restrictions.
Although operations have resumed, the Port is still not on the Public utility power grid (GETCO) and is expected to recover steadily over the coming weeks. Repairs are being done in anticipation of the monsoon season and complete port recovery will take up to 3 months.
Mr. Jakob Friis Sorenson, MD, APM Terminals Pipavav said, “We are pleased to resume our marine operations from today with the berthing of SSL Brahmaputra. We are committed to delivering quality service to our customers and even through such unprecedented challenges, we are making every possible effort to ensure that our customers have least impact on their operations. Our proactive preparations ensured that we had minimal impact and all our employees remained safe during and after the cyclone. We are grateful to our customers and stakeholders for their continued cooperation and patience. We are geared up to welcome vessels, trains and trucks at our port with full enthusiasm.”
