The Hindu Business Line : Tea shipments thru Amingaon ICD fall

WITH the last rake (28th rake) having left the Amingaon (Guwahati) inland container depot on Sunday, tea shipments through the ICD in the current year (2003-04) virtually came to an end, registering a marginal drop in throughput compared with that in 2002-03. The total throughput for the current year at 1,920 TEUs was lower by 36 TEUs compared with 1,956 TEUs, involving 29 rakes, in 2002-03.

As many as 1,305 TEUs, or roughly 68 per cent of the total, were shipped to the UK/Continent ports, with the balance 613 TEUs or 32 per cent to non-UK destinations. In 2002-03, the UK/Continent ports (1,297 TEUs) accounted for 66.3 per cent of the total throughput while the non-UK ports the balance 33.7 per cent.

The significant feature of this year's tea shipments through the Amingaon ICD is that there has been an increase in shipments to the UK/Continent ports, though marginally (10 TEUs). More important, there has been a drop in shipments to non-UK ports by about 46 TEUs.

Among the shipping lines, the Shipping Corporation of India's share was the largest at 935 TEUS (49 per cent), followed by P&O (578 TEUs or 30 per cent), Maersk (377 TEUs or 20 per cent), and APL (30 TEUs, 1 per cent). SCI was also the largest carrier to the UK/Continent destinations (855 TEUs out of total shipments of 1,307 TEUs to the UK/Continent destinations) accounting for more than 65 per cent. SCI handled 80 TEUs for non-UK ports, all to Sri Lanka. Last year, SCI handled 29 TEUs for Sri Lanka.

P&O shipments to both UK/Continent and non-UK ports declined. This year, the shipping line, through the ICD, handled a total of 578 TEUs, comprising 376 TEUs for the UK/Continent and 202 TEUs for non-UK ports. The corresponding figures for 2002-03 were 392 TEUs (UK/Continent) and 336 TEUs (non-UK ports), respectively.

The bulk of Maersk's shipments was to the non-UK destinations (303 TEUs out of a total of 377 TEUs). The corresponding figures for 2002-03 were 154 TEUs (non-UK) out of 160 TEUs (total).

APL, which handled 240 TEUs last year (112 TEUs to UK/Continent and 128 TEUs to the non-UK), handled a meagre 30 TEUs this year (28 TEUs non-UK and two TEUs to the UK).

Among the shippers, George Williamson had the largest share, 800 TEUs (639 TEUs to the UK/Continent and 161 TEUs to the non-UK), followed by Eveready Industries 418 TEUs (332 TEUs to UK/Continent and 86 TEUs to the non-UK), Hindustan Lever Ltd 398 TEUs (35 TEUs to the UK and 363 TEUs to the non-UK), Assam Company 187 TEUs (all UK), Moran Tea 57 TEUs (all UK), Tata Tea 25 TEUs (23 TEUs to the UK/Continent and 2 TEUs to non-UK), Goodricke 21 TEUs (all UK) and Parry Agro 12 TEUs (11 TEUs to the UK/Continent and one TEU to non-UK).