Mumbai Port weighs LNG bunkering, oil jetties and 1 lakh-car automobile hub

Mumbai Port Authority is evaluating new crude-oil jetties, LNG bunkering, specialised cargo terminals and an automobile-storage hub for about 1 lakh vehicles, strengthening EXIM logistics for Maharashtra’s auto clusters.

— Source publishedMon, 27 Jul, 2026, 08:25 IST·First seen Mon, 27 Jul, 2026, 08:30 IST·Source The Hindu BusinessLine

What happened

Mumbai Port Authority is evaluating oil, LNG bunkering, automobile-storage and cement-handling expansions. The proposed auto hub could hold about one lakh

Key facts

  • Crude-oil volumes rose 52% to 26.24 MMT in 2025-26 from 17.22 MMT in 2011-12
  • A 10% increase in vessel-borne POL cargo could add about 4.5 MMT annually
  • 0.81 lakh EXIM automobiles handled in FY 2025-26
  • Proposed storage capacity for about 1 lakh automobiles
  • 861 heavy-duty electric trucks discharged in one RoRo call
  • Proposed cement capacity of 2.0 MMT
  • Total port cargo reached 75.15 MMT in 2025-26 versus 53.32 MMT in 2020-21
  • Five-year cargo CAGR of about 7%

Why this matters

Companies in automotive, energy, logistics and terminal operations may find partnership or capacity-access opportunities as Mumbai Port expands specialised marine and vehicle-storage infrastructure.

What to watch

  • Formal board approval, concession tender or capex allocation for the automobile hub and LNG bunkering facilities.
  • Environmental and coastal-regulation clearances for new jetties and storage areas.
  • Binding throughput commitments from major OEMs, RoRo carriers or logistics providers.
  • Growth in RoRo vessel calls, finished-vehicle exports and port dwell-time metrics.
  • Completion of dedicated rail siding, highway access and customs digitization for vehicle evacuation.
  • Crude import trends and LNG-bunkering policy or fuel-price incentives affecting terminal economics.
  • Mumbai Port Authority to commission feasibility, traffic and environmental-impact studies for crude jetties, LNG bunkering and automobile logistics.
  • OEMs, shipping lines and terminal operators to seek long-term volume commitments, dedicated berths and vehicle-processing concessions.
  • State and central agencies to prioritize road, rail and customs-gate upgrades linking the port with Pune, Nashik and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar auto clusters.
  • Vehicle logistics firms to expand compound management, car-carrier trucking, PDI and damage-inspection capacity near the port.
  • Competing western-coast ports to pursue automotive terminal capacity, tariff incentives and faster inland connectivity.

Also reported by