The Hindu Business Line : Tea shipments via Amingaon ICD up

TEA shipments through Amingaon (Guwahati) inland container depot (ICD) so far this year has gone up marginally compared with that in the same period last year. Up to the ninth rake which arrived at the Kolkata Dock System (KDS) on last Friday (August 26), the throughput was 567 TEUs, comprising 393 TEUs (69 per cent) for UK/Continent ports and 174 TEUs (31 per cent) for other destinations.

During the same period last year when the 10th rake moved, total shipments were 542 TEUs, 79 per cent of which was for the UK/Continent and the balance 21 per cent for other destinations.

Yet, the tea exporters sending their shipments through the ICD are not sure if the total shipments in the whole of 2005-06 will be higher than those of last year's 1,920 TEUs. This is because, as they point out, the Indian tea is facing stiff competition in the UK and Continent from other tea producers. An interesting feature of this year's ICD shipments is that, unlike last year, UAE so far accounts for the bulk of the non-UK shipments - 110 TEUs out of a total non-UK shipments of 174 TEUs so far. One reason is that tea is being sent to Jebel Ali for blending and from there the blended tea is being sent to several central Asian nations. Also, there has been no shipment through the ICD to Iran so far. Last year, a total of 32 TEUs of north Indian teas were shipped through the ICD to Iran. It is learnt that this year Iran has so far bought south Indian tea.

Another interesting feature has been the non-participation of Maersk and limited participation, 65 TEUs (11 per cent), of P&O so far in ICD shipments. During the same period last year, P&O carried 170 TEUs representing 31 per cent and Maersk 30 TEUs (six per cent). The acquisition of P&O Nedlloyd by Maersk at the global level may have something to do with it. Another factor is that Maersk's feeder vessel calls only at Haldia and not at KDS, whereas the ICD shipments from this year have been linked to KDS, bypassing Haldia.

The Shipping Corporation of India, which offers hardly any sailing to non-UK/Continent destinations, so far accounts for nearly 83 per cent of the shipments to the UK/Continent — 327 TEUs out of 393 TEUs. APL, on the other hand, accounts for the bulk of shipments to non-UK/Continent destinations - 110 TEUs out of a total of 174 TEUs, or 63 per cent, followed by P&O, 29 TEUs (17 per cent), SCI 16 TEUs, all to Sri Lanka, (nine per cent) and K Line, 14 TEUs (eight per cent).

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