Cavotec has signed an order valued at approximately EUR 5 million to supply a MoorMaster NxG automated vacuum mooring system at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Mumbai, one of India's largest container ports. The contract represents the first deployment of automated mooring technology in India.

The customer is the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA). Jawaharlal Nehru Port, also known as Nhava Sheva, is located near Mumbai on India's west coast and ranks among the country's busiest container gateways. Under the order, delivery to the GTI terminal, operated by global terminal operator APM Terminals, part of the A.P. Moller-Maersk group, is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2027.

The MoorMaster NxG is Cavotec's automated vacuum mooring system. Rather than relying on conventional mooring ropes, the system secures vessels to the berth using vacuum, enabling faster and safer berthing and unberthing. Handling tensioned mooring lines is widely documented as one of the higher-risk activities in day-to-day port operations, with rope snapback a long-recognised hazard for deck and quayside crews, and vacuum mooring takes conventional lines out of the berthing operation. MoorMaster units are already in commercial service at ports and ferry terminals in Europe, North America and Australasia, across ferry, container and bulk applications. At GTI, MoorMaster NxG will help optimise berth productivity, improve operational efficiency while enhancing worker safety.

“Introduction of automated mooring at JNPA marks an important step in our journey towards safer, more efficient and technology-driven port operations. By enabling faster and safer berthing and unberthing, this initiative will support improved vessel turnaround and strengthen JNPA's vision of becoming a benchmark smart and sustainable port,” says Gaurav Dayal, IAS, Chairperson, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA).

India has been channelling investment into its maritime sector under national initiatives such as Sagarmala, launched in 2015 to promote port-led development, and Maritime India Vision 2030, which identifies port modernisation and smarter, more digitalised operations among its priorities.

“India is an essential market for Cavotec, with significant investments being made in port modernisation and automation. This order is an important reference for us and demonstrates the potential of our MoorMaster technology as the ports in India accelerate their investment,” says David Pagels, CEO of Cavotec.

Cavotec is a global engineering group, headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, specialising in electrification and automation technologies for ports and industrial applications. The company has an established presence in the Indian port sector and a long-standing relationship with JNPA, with Cavotec cable reel systems installed across its terminals. The GTI installation will serve as the company's reference deployment of automated vacuum mooring in the Indian market, with delivery expected in the fourth quarter of 2027.

Source: Cavotec, via Hellenic Shipping News