News / Cabotage relief boosts transhipment in India, but boxes are empty, claim critics

© Daniel Prudek

India’s move to lift cabotage restrictions is benefiting the country’s ports and freight forwarders by boosting domestic transhipment.

According to Global Logistics Solutions India director Naveen Prakash, the decision to allow foreign-flagged vessels to carry domestic cargo between Indian ports is the “most significant announcement” for the industry this year.

Previously, coastal shipping of import/export cargo and empty containers was the exclusive purview of local carriers.

“The foreign-flagged transhipment of containers is a major boost for the movement of agricultural cargo, including fertilisers, ...