Mumbai Port Trust will ensure from this month there is no docking at Hay Bunder and barges are re-routed.
Hay Bunder has been inactive because a lot of vessels heading there do not comply with security requirements. Hay Bunder has been used extensively by vessels transporting chemicals and fertilisers to the city.
After four rounds of talks, the port trust agreed last month to shut it down. The move comes after dhow MSV Yusufi was intercepted by Coast Guard 12 km from Colaba while attempting to smuggle goods and animals.
Coast Guard officials said the port trust will now direct barges and dhows to another area and ensure the vehicle traffic management system monitors their movement.
Hay Bunder in Sewri, a landing point that had become a bone of contention between police and the trust, has been officially closed by the port in order to prevent smuggling and other activities.
The Yusufi crew told Coast Guard they were going to Sri Lanka but later told police they were headed to Hay Bunder even as the dhow’s manifest destination was Lanka.
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