Mundra Port, India’s top container handler, continues to combat with cargo backlogs created during cyclone-related supply chain disruption that began last month.
According to industry sources, a major portion of the import containers that arrived at the height of the logjam have not been retrieved for last-mile delivery.
The delays put cargo owners at considerable risk of additional charges of port ground rent. Then there is the carrier levy of demurrage/detention charges on containers that overstay the free time window for storage or return of equipment.
Also, long-dwelling import boxes facing hefty penalties often run the risk of being abandoned by cargo interests, mostly in the case of low-value cargo.
Some ad-hoc relief, by way of five days extra free time, was provided by the port authority in the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Biparjoy, which forced all ports along India’s Gujarat coastline to halt operations for almost a week.