| Date: |
13-08-2010 |
| Subject: |
Mumbai Port Partially Re-Opens as Work Clearing Shed Containers Continues |
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India’s busiest container port resumed partial operations, ending a three-day shutdown caused by a ship collision that stranded about $4 billion of exports.
Jawaharlal Nehru Port let one ship through this morning and will allow vessels with a draft of up to nine meters to move during high tide, Chief Manager S.N. Maharana said in a phone interview. The adjacent Mumbai Port is also considering opening its channel after a meeting today, Chairman Rahul Asthana said.
Salvagers are continuing to remove some of the 300 containers that spilled from Mediterranean Shipping Co.’s MSC Chitra and made the sea unsafe for passage, said Asthana. The shutdown of the two ports stranded some 32 ships and hampered deliveries of oil, grains and other commodities in a country that depends on harbors for 90 percent of overseas trade.
“We are not equipped to deal with these kind of situations,” said A. Sakthivel, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations, which gave the $4 billion estimate. “We have asked the government to get help from foreign experts.”
Source : bloomberg.com
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