Kattupalli Port to ‘temporarily’ shut export gate for ships calling from December 18

Adani Kattupalli Port Pvt Ltd, which runs the Kattupalli port near Chennai, has said it will “temporarily suspend” accepting export containers from vessels calling at the port from December 18.

“In our endeavour to maintain yard inventories within acceptable levels and to ensure vessels are quickly turned around without any delay, we are constrained to temporarily suspend accepting exports for vessels which are expected to call from December 18, commencing with MV X-Press Jersey,” Adani Kattupalli Port said in a trade advisory issued on Friday.

The export gate carting will be restored once terminal inventories and vessel delays are brought under manageable levels, it said.

Container terminal operations have been disrupted by a three-day work stoppage from November 24 to 26 due to cyclone Nivar, followed by the receding impact of cyclone Buveri till December 8, resulting in surging inventory levels and a delay in berthing of vessels.

The port is deploying all the required resources to reduce berthing delays and to quickly turn around vessels.

Adani Kattupalli Port is a unit of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd, India’s biggest private port operating firm.