As “Cyclone Biparjoy” is developing into an extremely severe storm, port authorities on India’s Gujarat coast have been told to suspend marine operations until further notice, according to industry sources.
The affected ports include Mundra, the country’s busiest container handler.
“All ships anchored are advised to take all necessary steps for their safety, which include steaming out to high seas,” said Adani Ports, adding, “Weather forecasts for Cyclone Biparjoy predict strong winds, rain and squalls in Gulf of Kutch.”
A local industry source noted, “Mundra Port has suspended vessel berthing and plans to shift all vessels at berth to evacuate the berth.”
Other nearby box ports like Pipavav and Hazira have also issued similar suspension alerts, as the storm is expected to cause landfall in the region by Thursday, according to current indications.
“Long and persistent swells due to Cyclone Biparjoy render difficulty in marine, quay-side and land-side operations,” APM Terminals Pipavav said in a trade advisory.
The terminal went on to explain, “With the cyclonic storm closing in over the next 36-48 hours, the weather is only expected to worsen.”
Nhava Sheva (JNPT) is also anticipating extreme weather conditions because of the cyclonic storm. “Due to strong and gusting winds, the movement of container vessels will be restricted,” the port authority said.
It added, “Except container vessels, other vessel movements will continue with pilot boarding by tug boats until weather permits.”
Kandla Port, a major general cargo hub, has asked vessel operators to evacuate berths immediately.
Container lines offering regular calls into India’s western coast have also begun to warn customers of cargo delays and supply chain disruptions due to port stoppages.
“As a precautionary measure and considering the cyclone landfall in Gujarat this week, there is a restriction in allowing third party surveyors to go to stack and check containers at Mundra,” Maersk said in an advisory.
Mundra Port was already battling a large buildup of containers as a result of diversions from APM Terminals’ Pipavav Port.
The cyclone-related disruption comes amid ongoing cargo delays in the region as a consequence of recent disruptions at Pipavav.
The bulk of India’s containerised cargo moves via west coast ports. To illustrate, Mundra and Nhava Sheva saw combined throughput of 1.14 million TEUs last month, out of 1.86 million TEUs shipped in and out of the country during the month, according to data obtained by Container News.
Given that scenario, any prolonged disruptions at these ports could cause significant supply chain repercussions for the emerging market economy.
Jenny Daniel
Global Correspondent
Contact email: j.daniel@container-news.com
