New Mangalore Port halves mainline container ship charges and offers feeders 35% rebate

New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) is offering mainline container vessels a 50% rebate on berth hire, port dues and pilotage, while feeder vessels qualify for a 35% reduction on the same charges. The revised rates apply to ships berthing at the Karnataka port to handle containers between 3 November 2026 and 31 March 2027.

The authority wants to attract more vessel calls and compete for containerised cargo moving through neighbouring ports. New Mangalore handled 192,307 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the financial year ended March 2026. The incentive targets the shipping lines that decide whether to include Mangaluru in a service rotation.

The purpose of the call determines eligibility. A feeder or mainline vessel must berth at New Mangalore to load or discharge containers during the specified period. The authority excludes ancillary activities such as bunkering and changes of vessel flag. Operators can apply the relevant percentage to the three eligible items in the port’s published tariff when estimating the cost of a call.

Pilotage is a notable feature for feeder operators. Under NMPA’s 2024–25 calendar-year rebate scheme, feeders received a standard 25% reduction on berth hire and port dues. Mainline ships received 25% on those charges and pilotage. The November 2026 schedule covers pilotage for both categories and gives mainline operators a 15-percentage-point advantage over feeders.

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