Kolkata port continues to bear loss as Bangladeshi ship blocks berth at NSD

The rhythmic clanking of container cranes at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Docks (NSD) often masks the lingering financial scars of maritime disasters that once paralyzed India’s eastern gateway. While the physical silhouette of the capsized MV Marintrust 01 no longer haunts Berth 5, the “blocked berth” narrative has evolved into a case study of long-term economic opportunity cost and the urgent need for structural port reform.

The 2022 incident—where a Bangladeshi ship keeled over within 15 minutes of loading—did more than just spill 165 containers into the Hooghly; it exposed a vacuum in liability and salvage protocols that kept the berth unproductive for months. Today, in 2026, as the port transitions toward a more robust 2026 economic landscape, the focus has shifted from the immediate crisis to the massive ₹832.25 crore modernization project intended to ensure such a “unprecedented situation” never recurs.

The Long Road to Recovery: From Salvage to Auction

The saga of the MV Marintrust 01 was a legal and logistical quagmire. After the ship’s owners effectively abandoned the vessel in 2022, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP) faced a daily revenue drain. It wasn’t until September 17, 2022, that the salvage operation was completed, and a subsequent ruling by the Admiralty Bench of the Calcutta High Court finally allowed for the vessel’s e-auction in November 2023.

“The port was essentially held hostage by a foreign asset it did not own. We were facilitators of a disaster we didn’t cause, bearing losses that weren’t ours to carry.”

The auction via MSTC served as a turning point, providing the necessary financial closure to settle crew wages and port demurrage. However, the cumulative loss—encompassing lost berth productivity and administrative overhead—continued to impact the port’s balance sheets well into the mid-2020s.

Infrastructure Modernization and the JSW Pivot

To prevent a repeat of the “human error” cited in the original inquiry—where misplaced containers led to a fatal loss of stability—SMP has finalized a massive overhaul. Under the new 2026 JSW Infrastructure project, the NSD berths are undergoing a technological metamorphosis. This shift moves the port away from the manual guidance of ship masters and toward automated loading protocols.

According to official Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority guidelines, all vessels docking at the modernized NSD must now sync with port-side AI stability software. This technology predicts the vessel’s center of gravity in real-time as containers are stacked, a direct response to the MV Marintrust 01’s 15-minute collapse.

The Geopolitical Ripple Effect

The incident also strained maritime relations between India and Bangladesh. For years, environmentalists have flagged the issue of sunken Bangladeshi barges in the Hooghly, claiming they impede water flow and cause localized pollution. The 2022 blockade served as the catalyst for the 2025 Riverine Protocol Update, which now mandates that foreign owners provide immediate salvage bonds before docking in Indian riverine ports.

While the port continues to account for the “legacy loss” in its long-term audits, the focus is now squarely on the future. With the operational updates to port management systems completed, Kolkata is positioning itself not just as a facilitator, but as a proactive regulator of maritime safety in the Bay of Bengal.

As the sun sets over the Netaji Subhas Docks today, the berth that was once a symbol of bureaucratic and legal stagnation is now a hub of 2026-grade efficiency. The lesson learned from the Bangladeshi vessel is clear: in the modern maritime world, the cost of a “wait and watch” policy is far higher than the cost of preemptive infrastructure investment.