Unmesh Wagh-led Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority has been ranked 23rd globally and No. 1 in India in the Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) 2024, jointly developed by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, underscoring the strides taken by the state-run port authority in improving its productivity and efficiency.
The port located near Mumbai, which handles more than half of the container cargo shipped through India’s ports, is also featured among the top 20 global improvers during the period between 2020 and 2024, as well as 2023 and 2024.
“Jawaharlal Nehru Port experienced significant improvements from 2020 to 2024. The port’s CPPI values were 66 (2020), 62 (2021), 35 (2022), 48 (2023), and 100 (2024). This upward trend reflects the addition of terminal capacity and process reforms that have reduced turnaround and dwell times,” says CPPI 2024, which offers a global benchmark for container port efficiency.
“In terms of capacity and operations, Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals Pvt Ltd (BMCT), a unit of Singapore’s PSA International Pte Ltd, offers deep-water capability (berth depth of approximately 16.5 meters and a 1000-meter quay) and modern equipment and gates that support higher productivity. Moves per hour per ship and per crane are reported to have improved, as are truck side and rail process improvements,” the fifth edition of CPPI has said.
The CPPI has become a widely referenced global benchmark for the performance of container ports. The index remains focused on a key indicator of operational efficiency: vessel time in port and the number of containers moved.
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority’s improved performance in the CPPI index year after year reflects the state-owned port’s rising stature as a gateway of choice for shipping lines and exporters and importers due to its superior terminal infrastructure facilities and the ability to turnaround ships quickly, benefitting the trade in terms of lower logistics costs, said Unmesh Wagh, Chairman, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority.
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), the entity that runs India’s biggest state-owned container gateway and the country’s second largest, said it handled 7.301 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the fiscal year 2025, the most since the port started operations more than three decades ago.
The container volumes handled at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority rose 13.55 per cent in FY25 from 6.43 million TEUs a year earlier.
A TEU is the standard size of a container and a common measure of capacity in the container business.
Wagh attributed the continued performance improvements at the port to team work and lauded the efforts of private terminals run by PSA International, DP World Ltd, Gateway Terminals India Pvt Ltd (a joint venture between A P M Terminals Management B V and Container Corporation of India Ltd) and Nhava Sheva Freeport Terminal Private Limited (a special purpose vehicle jointly owned by J M Baxi Ports and Logistics Ltd and CMA Terminals Holding, a subsidiary of the CMA CGM Group) in lifting the overall performance metrics of the port to match global standards.
“Normally, the private sector always surpasses the public sector because they have more freedom, is free to deploy more efficient staff, and has access to more resources. But, when that freedom and decision-making are delegated to the public sector, the same officials can do remarkable work and demonstrate that they are not second to anyone,” Wagh observed.
JN Port turns around container ships – a barometer of a port’s efficiency and productivity – in 22 hours, or 0.9 days, the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI) Report, 2023, said. That’s way faster than peers in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the UAE and the US.
Container ports are critical nodes in globally connected supply chains, handling merchandise and semi-finished products. The Container Port Performance Index measures the time container ships spend in port, making it an important point of reference for stakeholders in the global economy and for the sustainable development of ports.
Container port performance hinges critically on how efficiently ships are handled at berth. The World Bank’s CPPI underscores this by measuring port efficiency largely in terms of the total elapsed hours from a ship’s arrival to its departure after completing cargo exchange. Reducing the time that vessels spend alongside (both waiting and working) is thus a direct lever for improving a port’s CPPI score and overall competitiveness. Concerted efforts in planning, operations, and technology can dramatically cut berth times. The challenge, and opportunity, lies in implementing strategies that range from smarter berth scheduling and crane productivity boosts to streamlined yard handling and advanced automation, it said.
“A timely turnaround of container ships is crucial to keep logistics costs low and supply chains efficient, ensuring that ports remain resilient catalysts for development. Time-efficient container ports enable ships to achieve fuel and emissions savings, making the index a key contributor to shipping decarbonization efforts,” the CPPI 2024 report added.
Notably, the World Bank’s CPPI 2024 also referenced an article published by India Seatrade News.
