Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) is adopting artificial intelligence and digital initiatives to drive efficiency as it targets 10 per cent growth in container traffic in the coming financial year.

Container traffic has grown over 13.6 per cent, with JNPA port handling 7 million twenty-foot containers in the current fiscal year. It is expected to close the year with a throughput of 7.25 million tonnes.

While rationalisation of charges and improvement in turnaround time have helped in growth, JNPA port is targeting further efficiency by adopting new technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital solutions and truck appointment system, JNPA chairman Unmesh Sharad Wagh said on Tuesday.

“Our terminal operators are doing an excellent job, and the collaborative efforts across the port ecosystem have contributed to success,” Wagh said.

The port’s terminals are undergoing an expansion, increasing their capacity to over 10 million TEUs annually. A TEU is a twenty-foot equivalent unit which measures cargo handling capacity at ports.

Wagh expects JNPA to handle ten million containers in four years. The port’s investment in an agro-processing facility and its special economic zone are expected to push growth. The dedicated freight corridor will bring in more freight from the hinterland.

Work on the planned Vadhvan port in North Maharashtra is ahead of schedule, Wagh said. Contract for near shore reclamation has been awarded and is expected to be completed in 18-24 months. Similarly tenders for further reclamation and breakwater will be issued in two months.

Wagh also announced the construction of a twenty-story building in Mumbai that will house the corporate offices of JNPA and Vadhvan ports.

The building will have a digital observatory on the topmost floor and a state-of-the-art auditorium with facilities for 2000 persons on the ground floor. It will also have offices of other departments under the port and shipping ministry and will be complete by April 2027.