Goemakrponn desk
VASCO: Stakeholders, business houses and exporters on Monday afternoon convened a joint meeting with a ship operator to recommence the container service at MPT Goa Port
After the meeting, stakeholders spoke to the media that MPT had already offered discounts and incentives to any ship operator planning to start container service to Goa Port.
Stakeholders also informed that the ship operator had requested that the ship needs a good volume of containers business to start ship operations at Goa.
Meanwhile, exporters appealed to the Goan industries to export containers through the port so that the container service in port can resume operations.
On Thursday, the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) issued a notice offering heavy concessions on availing its container shipping facilities to quell rumours of the imminent closure of container services at the port.
In a statement issued Friday, the MPT said that a major container agent had asked its customers to stop taking container bookings from MPT. The port authorities learnt that the only container feeder vessel operator from MPT Goa was going to discontinue the container vessel’s call at MPT.
“However, it is important to understand that neither the feeder operator nor any container agent formally informed the port about these decisions, which have a very negative impact on the entire value chain of containerized trade in Goa,” the MPT said in a statement.
The ‘rumours’ had led to concerns over the livelihood of 450-500 locals engaged in various services allied with container shipping including trailer operators, shipping line services and logistics companies.
According to port officials, this would have created barriers in Goa’s industrial and manufacturing activities due to an increase in costs for the export of finished products and the import of raw materials. The impression given to the industry would also, in turn, hurt the revenues of the port and those of the state government.
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