India shipping operations run into disarray as cyclone makes landfall
Shipping operations for commodities ranging from oil and coal to consumer goods and textiles will be delayed in the week ending May 22, as the cyclone Tauktae raged past India’s western coastline, trading executives, port officials and refiners told S&P Global Platts May 18.
Naval ships and aircraft have been deployed to evacuate hundreds of personnel from oil barges and a rig while the bunkering operations have also been severely hit.
Even though the landfall of the dreaded cyclone has already happened, its gradually fizzling out and most ports will resume operations by midnight May 18 or early May 19 but by the time all logistics are up and running, a few days of delay in loading and unloading cargoes and ship bunkering is projected by those directly involved in this work.
Sea ports evacuate personnel, stop yard operations as Tauktae intensifies into Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm
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The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), which oversees the Nhava Sheva port has suspended all yard operations and evacuated all personnel from the dockyard on Sunday evening after suspending berthing from late Saturday night. Transporters were also asked to evacuate their trailers and equipment.
The storm is expected to move north-westwards and reach Gujarat coast on Monday evening and cross between Porbandar & Mahuva (Bhavnagar district) during the night between 8 and 11 pm.
In light of the cyclone Tauktae, two of the busiest ports on the west cost of India - Nhava Sheva and Mundra have suspended all yard operations and unberthed all ships till weather conditions improve.
JNPT to resume operations from 1 am on Tuesday indiatimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from indiatimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Major ports handle 30% more cargo in April
May 14, 2021
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust reported a 60 per cent rise in volumes to 6.32 mt (3.95 mt)
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust reported a 60 per cent rise in volumes to 6.32 mt (3.95 mt)×
The dozen ports handled 61.52 mt reversing the falling trend last year
Cargo handled at India’s dozen state-owned major ports soared 29.52 per cent in April to 61.52 million tonnes (mt) from 47.50 mt a year ago.
With the exception of New Mangalore Port Trust which posted a decline of 3.84 per cent, all the other ports got off to a solid start in the first month of the current fiscal, reversing the fall in traffic seen last year due to the coronavirus-induced demand compression.