Container shipping lines are imposing surcharges on shippers, to recoup the extra costs caused by drastic congestion at Mumbai, the busiest port in India. The port has been suffering equipment failure, work to replace cranes and monsoon delays.
The Western India Shippers’ Association, which represents about 130 exporters and importers, have advised that six shipping lines so far have imposed surcharges, with the congestion causing delays of up to 10 days before ships can berth. Many carriers are unloading containers at other ports to avoid the delay, but this means that they incur extra costs to move the containers back to Mumbai.