Container handling at one of the private terminals at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port has been severely affected following a go-slow by workers and the resulting congestion at the terminal.

Two major shipping lines operating from the terminal are believed to have told shippers on Monday that they will not accept export cargo for the next two calls i.e.; till mid April.

Concor warnings

Concor, which is operating dedicated rail services to JN Port, also warned exporters that some of their consignments may miss their connecting vessels. Shipment of export containers which are being diverted to other terminals will be delayed. “The situation has become so critical at the terminal that it may be forced to shut the export gate” said a spokesperson of the Western India Shippers Association, which has taken up the matter with the JN Port authorities.

Labour problem

The Nhava Sheva Intentional Container Terminal –NSICT, run by the DP World, has been facing labour agitation for sometime now. According to information, the union has intensified the agitation from March 25, aggravating the situation.

Capt Sujeet Singh, Chief Executive Officer, DP World, Nhava Sheva, said “we are facing an impact on our operations because of some decisions taken by the union at the terminal resulting in poor operational productivity. Our efforts continue to resolve the same at the earliest.” There are three terminals at JN Port — two are operated by private parties and one by the JNPT itself. The second private terminal is run by Gateway Terminals India, a joint venture between APM and Concor. Concor has told shippers that unloading and loading are taking place at the terminal at a very slow pace. The go slow by NSICT employees has affected the turnaround of Concor trains. The average port detention in NSICT during past four days is in the range 11-12 hours as against the mutually agreed benchmark of 5-6 hours. In a notice to shipping agents Concor said, “As a result of the slowdown in the work, around 15-20 Concor trains carrying export containers are detained/regulated short of JN Port for want of room. It is quite likely that these export containers may miss their vessel connection and resultant shut-out.”

Cargoes diverted

According Concor, it was forced to divert cargo to other terminals at JN port. But the conainers are not being shifted to NSICT on time. Around 1,700 containers meant for NSICT are now lying at the other two terminals. This will result in delay in shipment of these containers.

A port sector analyst said NSICT has been handling many more containers than its designed capacity. It handles more than one million TEUs a year against its designed capacity of six lakh TEUs.

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