75 glorious years of Indian Independence was celebrated on 15th August 2022. From being an impoverished country in 1947, India has risen over the years to become the fastest growing economy in the world with a consistent annual GDP growth of over 7 percent. From being a net importer of food grains, fertilisers, machinery etc., India has now come a long way in exporting food grains, machinery and goods and services to the world.

A close look at the Indian ports segment, reveals tremendous growth in the ports sector from traditional break bulk ships where cargo was handled manually on shore and in the ship's holds, to mechanised and modern cargo handling equipment, which has contributed to the expeditious handling of ships.

During this period J M Baxi has played a stellar role in the growth and progress of the Indian ports sector. From being a traditional cargo agent and freight forwarder, J M Baxi has witnessed growth, encompassing all aspects of shipping and logistics over the years and has grown to become a leading player in the maritime segment. The company now boasts of over 65 branch offices at all major and minor ports of India, as well as in inland commercial towns. Over the last two decades, J M Baxi has forayed into container terminals and freight stations dotting the Indian coastline and interiors. Recently, the company has also ventured into the cruise terminal business, taking advantage of the increase in the number of foreign and domestic cruise lines evincing interest in operating at Indian ports.

To give a greater perspective of the involvement and commitment of J M Baxi to maritime growth in India, here is a quick look at the company’s journey across some of India’s ports.

After India’s partition in 1947, Karachi port would naturally begin serving only Pakistan. The Indian government felt an urgent need for the development of a port in place of Karachi, to cater to the vast hinterland of north India. Kandla port was thus conceptualised to fill the vacuum. J M Baxi was involved in the growth and development of Kandla port since its inception. It may be noteworthy to mention that in the absence of any suitable hotels in Gandhidham (the town adjoining Kandla port), the team would rest in the railway station waiting room. Such was the dedication and commitment of J M Baxi. Today, the company boasts of operating a very successful container terminal at Kandla with modern container handling equipment, along with handling other break bulk, bulk and liquid cargoes at other berths at Kandla port.

Mumbai being endowed with a large harbour and port infrastructure, developed into the commercial capital of India. A large variety of ships were handled and the port was always bustling with ships at anchorage, awaiting an opportunity to berth. J.M.Baxi & Co. had based their head office at Mumbai to cater to the various ships, and also to oversee the various branch offices from its home base. However, Mumbai being an island, various difficulties arose in clearing goods into and from the docks. Moreover, with the advent of containerisation, the movement of large trailer trucks transporting 20' feet and 40' feet containers through Mumbai roads proved challenging, leading to various delays and excessive turnaround times of container vessels. It was then that the Indian government decided to decongest Mumbai and its port, by developing the Nhava Sheva port across the Mumbai harbour.

Nhava Sheva port was conceptualised in the early eighties. It was primarily set up to handle containers including grain and fertiliser import cargoes. J M Baxi once again played a defining role right from the construction stage by handling project cargo ships for the setting up of the port. Once the port was commissioned, J.M.Baxi & Co. were the first agents to have their own office at the port and consistently bagged the best agent award for handling the maximum number of containers as well as grain and fertiliser ships. With growth in the domestic production of food grains and fertiliser, India became an exporter of food grains and hence the bulk terminal at the port was rendered idle. With the phenomenal growth in the container traffic at the port, it was decided to dismantle the mechanical cargo handling bulk system and replace it with additional container berths. Today, the J M Baxi group has been awarded the bid for operation of a container terminal along with CMA- CGM as the joint venture partners. J M Baxi also manages Mumbai International Cargo Terminals I and II for handling container vessels cargo.

At Mumbai, J M Baxi is also developing a modern international cruise terminal for handling of foreign and domestic cruise ships. This terminal is expected to be ready in 2023 for operation.

Lying at the southernmost tip of India, Tuticorin is well positioned on the international east - west trade route between the far east and Europe. It is a matter of pride that in 1976-77 J.M. Baxi & Co were the first agents to handle a container ship in India wherein containers were transshipped from one vessel to another container vessel at Tuticorin port. The company was recently awarded the bid for operating a container terminal at the port, another feather in the cap and a showcase of commitment to the Indian shipping industry.

Lying on the east coast of India, Vizag port played an important role post- independence in the development of shipping. It had a ship building facility besides handling of cargoes catering to the eastern hinterland. Vizag holds a soft spot and a place of pride in J M Baxi's history, as it helped realize the company’s long awaited dream of foraying into the container and cargo terminals business when Vishaka Container Terminal was inaugurated in 2004. In 2021, an adjoining container terminal was built, thereby doubling the container berth capacity. Modern shore side quay cranes and gantries were installed and utmost care was taken to reduce the carbon footprint and create a green port terminal. J M Baxi has also developed a container freight station at Vizag to cater to the demands of the maritime trade.

Paradip port was developed post- independence to cater to the large import and export of bulk commodities in the hinterlands of Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand. As iron, steel and other industries were developed in the region, Paradip witnessed significant growth as finished steel products, aluminum etc witnessed a spurt in exports.
J M Baxi realised a need to develop a dedicated terminal and set up the Paradip Multipurpose Clean Cargo Terminal to cater to the handling of EXIM trade out of the port. Such was the success of this terminal in handling of container and other cargoes, that the turnaround times of the ships at the terminal were reduced considerably to the satisfaction of the shipowners and operators.

Besides the earlier mentioned terminals, J M Baxi has also developed the bulk cargo handling and bagging facility for fertilisers at Rozi in Jamnagar, using their own dedicated barges to discharge the cargo from the stream alongside our Rozi Terminal.

Delhi Inland Container Terminal was set up at Sonepat, outside Delhi to cater to the entire northern region which is connected to a large swathe of industries in the region. Besides having a dedicated railway siding, the terminal also boasts of a sophisticated reefer cargo facility using modern digital techniques for storing and maintaining varied commodities with differentiated temperatures.

Inland waterways using the large network of rivers has been encouraged and developed by the Indian government.

J M Baxi has been quick to realise the huge potential of the inland waterways and is in the process of developing this business on the National Waterway No.1 (Ganga River) as well as the National Waterway No.2 (Brahmaputra River).

J M Baxi is also in the process of developing cruise businesses at Indian ports, and besides developing and operating the Mumbai International Cruise Terminal, it is also engaged in developing cruise terminals along the Indian coastline.

As India treads the next 25 years towards the centenary year of independence, the country is working towards fulfilling the vision of the government to become a fully developed nation with a place of pride in the world.
J M Baxi too is moving steadfastly in supporting this vision. We shall be seeing a lot of changes and developments within the group of companies in the years to come and are ready to face the future with courage and pride.