Amid disruptions in maritime trade due to the evolving geopolitical situation in the Middle East, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all major ports to mitigate the impact on cargo movement. Acting on the directive, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) has constituted a task force to coordinate responses and support the export-import (EXIM) community.
Single Point of Contact Appointed to Coordinate with DGFT
The task force comprises representatives from DGFT, Customs, DG Shipping and the port authority. Girish Thomas, Chief General Manager (Traffic) at JNPA, has been appointed as the single point of contact for coordination and communication related to trade disruptions arising from the situation in the Middle East.
Officials said the disruption has affected vessel schedules and export cargo movement to the region, prompting coordinated efforts between port authorities and trade stakeholders. JNPA Chairperson Gaurav Dayal and Deputy Chairperson Ravish Kumar Singh have been holding consultations with shipping lines, exporters, terminal operators, Customs authorities and trade bodies to monitor developments and address operational concerns.
Strategic Alternatives
To ease congestion and support exporters, JNPA has introduced several facilitation measures including temporary transshipment storage for Middle East-bound cargo, allocation of additional storage areas at terminals and ad-hoc vessel calls to ports located on the eastern side of the Strait of Hormuz such as Fujairah and Khor Fakkan in the UAE, and Sohar, Muscat and Salalah in Oman. Priority handling is also being given to perishable cargo and export consignments returning from the Middle East.
Customs authorities at Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House have also enabled faster ‘Back to Town’ (BTT) movement of export containers even in cases where the Export General Manifest (EGM) has not been filed. Containers with intact seals will be permitted after basic verification, while detailed physical examination and BTT-related penalties have been waived to facilitate quicker evacuation.
Following consultations with the Reefer Transporters Association, authorities have confirmed the availability of adequate trailers for the movement of refrigerated and other containers requiring BTT evacuation, particularly for perishable commodities such as bananas and grapes.
Speaking on the situation, Gaurav Dayal said:
“JNPA is closely monitoring the evolving situation and remains fully committed to supporting the EXIM community. We are in constant consultation with the Ministry, Customs authorities, terminal operators and trade stakeholders to explore relief measures that can ease cargo movement and minimize disruption. Our endeavor is to identify practical solutions that support exporters and ensure seamless port operations.
As a result of these coordinated efforts, the situation at the port has shown steady improvement. The number of stranded containers at JNPA has reduced from around 5,000 TEUs on 1 March to nearly 3,200 TEUs on 8 March, while stranded perishable containers have reduced from around 2,000 to about 1,000. Efforts are ongoing to further reduce the number of stranded containers at the earliest possible time.”
JNPA said it continues to remain in close coordination with the ministry, shipping lines, terminal operators and the trade community to ensure smooth cargo movement while exploring additional facilitation measures to ease trade operations.
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