Mumbai: Mumbai Port Authority (MbPA) handled three exceptionally heavy Over Dimensional Cargo (ODC) packages through a specialised Barge Roll-Off operation on 24 September, demonstrating its growing capability to facilitate complex heavy lift and project cargo movements and support the movement of Indian-manufactured industrial equipment to international markets.
The three packages, weighing 718 MT, 502 MT and 232 MT, form part of a coastal consignment transported by barge from Dahej, Gujarat, to Mumbai Port for onward export to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, UAE. The cargo will be stored at Mumbai Port until an onward vessel is available for shipment to Abu Dhabi.
The movement brings together coastal shipping, specialised port handling, storage and international connectivity through Mumbai Port, illustrating how port infrastructure can support the movement of large industrial consignments from manufacturing locations in India to overseas destinations.
Heavy cargo handling operation
The packages handled through the Roll-Off operation comprised a PG Cooler weighing 718 MT, a Riser & Downcomer weighing 502 MT and a Steam Drum weighing 232 MT. Owing to the exceptional dimensions and weight, the packages could not be discharged through conventional methods using ship’s gear or shore cranes.
To facilitate their safe discharge, Mumbai Port Authority adopted a specialised Barge Roll-Off method. The barge was berthed perpendicular to the berth, and its deck was levelled with the surface of the wharf. Hydraulic puller trailers were then moved onto the barge and positioned beneath the packages. Using their hydraulic systems, the trailers took the load of the packages and carefully rolled them from the barge onto the wharf.
Specialised port infrastructure
A key advantage in undertaking the operation was the availability of a berth inside Mumbai Port’s lock gate. The tranquil water conditions within the lock gate provided the stability required to maintain alignment between the barge and the quay during the transfer of cargo of such exceptional weight and dimensions.
Beyond the technical complexity of the operation, the movement demonstrates the value of combining coastal shipping with gateway port infrastructure for large industrial cargo. Transporting such consignments by coastal barge provides an important logistics option for equipment whose size and weight make conventional movement challenging, while Mumbai Port provides the handling infrastructure, storage and onward maritime connectivity required to complete the export movement.
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Boost to maritime logistics
For Mumbai, such specialised cargo operations reinforce the Port’s continuing role as a maritime and logistics gateway connecting industrial centres on India’s western coast with global markets. The ability to accommodate complex project cargo also broadens the range of cargo movements that can be facilitated through Mumbai Port and makes productive use of its specialised port infrastructure.
At the national level, the operation reflects the wider importance of efficient ports and coastal shipping in supporting India’s manufacturing and export ecosystem. The ability to move large, Indian-manufactured industrial equipment from a production location to an Indian gateway port and onward to an international destination demonstrates the integration of domestic manufacturing, coastal logistics and maritime trade.
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