Blog: Continuing our strong commitment to India - by CEO, Keith Svendsen

Recently I had a great pleasure of visiting India – a key market for APM Terminals. Wherever I travel, meeting colleagues, customers and partners is always a fantastic opportunity. I am deeply impressed by how our teams at both APM Terminals Mumbai (Gateway Terminals India, GTI) and APM Terminals Pipavav (Gujarat Pipavav Port Limited, GPPL) are committed to continuous improvements, and I have witnessed many great examples of how they keep lifting standards for what is possible.

Let’s start with Pipavav, which has – for the second consecutive year – secured the position of India’s most efficient port in in the Global Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) 2022 rankings published by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence. Our terminal (where we provide jobs for approximately 2,500 people) plays a key role in the local economy of Gujarat. It helps diversify the state’s economy by facilitating trade, improving connectivity and ultimately impacting GDP growth.

We continue to invest in developing Port Pipavav’s infrastructure, with significant achievements, such as establishing a new liquid berth at the port, new RoRo capabilities, or strengthening environment friendly rail connectivity at the port with the large consumption areas in the hinterland. Pipavav’s rail solution, which also allows fast and efficient inland transport of cargo from the port, will reduce cargo transit times by 50%, on top of offering safe, reliable, cost-effective logistics solutions that also generate lower CO2 emissions.

In Mumbai we have a lot to be proud of. Our container terminal tops the charts in terms of productivity in India and is currently going through a massive upscaling process aimed at increasing its capacity by 10% to 2.2 million TEUs.

In Mumbai we have a lot to be proud of. Our container terminal tops the charts in terms of productivity in India and is currently going through a massive upscaling process aimed at increasing its capacity by 10% to 2.2 million TEUs. This project, rightfully called “Fit for Future”, entails a total investment of INR 8.0 billion (approx. US$115 million) in infrastructure development. This includes six new Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes with higher and further reach and three Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) cranes to accelerate rail performance.

Reduced environmental impact in Mumbai

The terminal is also committed to minimising its environmental impact and has undertaken several initiatives to support this, such as recycling engine and gear box oils, solar panel installations, wind turbine ventilators, two speed engine conversion - to name a few.

In all our endeavours in India, we are lucky to have partners who share our vision and commitment to the future. I had the pleasure of meeting India’s Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways and discussed how to further strengthen India’s maritime sector. We are thankful to the Indian government for driving regulatory reforms that help move the sector in the right direction. We welcome further initiatives that increase the competitiveness of the industry and ensure a level playing field for all players.

As always, our business would be nothing without the people working here, and I left India highly energised and moved by the enthusiasm and positive energy from my colleagues. It is always great to see and experience every heart and brain in the game and all the great things that materialise when we are in this together.

Thank you, India, and until next time!

Image caption: (Right) Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (Left) APM Terminals CEO, Keith Svendsen