News / Pipavav gets back to business, slowly, after Cyclone Biparjoy

APMT Pipavav

WITH VIDEO

APM Terminals Pipavav said the port had resumed landside operations, albeit with some restrictions, after the weather improved this morning.

The Indian authorities will now begin to assess the scale of the devastation wrought by Cyclone Biparjoy. 

The port has also resumed rail yard activity, delivery services for import cargo and empty containers and gate-in of reefer shipments, it said. Pipavav sources also noted a green signal from western rail authorities to move freight trains on some routes.

A decision on quayside movements is expected this evening or tomorrow morning, an APMT official told The Loadstar.

The private port said: “While marine and quayside operations remain suspended, the port is continuously monitoring the situation and aims to commence all operations as soon as it satisfies itself that working conditions will ensure safety of vessel, cargo, port infrastructure and all associated personnel.”

And sources at Mundra Port, the busiest box handler, said the weather was being monitored and port operations there would resume “subject to further instructions from the administration”.

Cyclone Biparjoy put a halt to shipping across the Gujarat coastline over the past week. The storm passed the coast this morning moving towards the country’s north-eastern region, according to the latest reports.

Major carriers serving Indian containerised trades announced a flurry of port call omissions or schedule adjustments for Mundra and Pipavav. 

Maersk said as many as eight sailings were expected to be impacted and noted: “Our teams have been working steadfastly towards finding the best solutions for the vessel schedules impacted by the storm.” 

French liner CMA CGM also announced several sailing changes on its Indian networks, including the Indamex 2 (India-US east coast) string.

While marine terminals limp back to normal export/import trade flows, sources believe trucking and rail services will struggle, given the huge amount of cargo backed-up – a factor that could also have a lingering impact on carrier service reliability.

And any inland rush has predictable cost implications for cargo owners as they scramble to secure a truck or warehouse for their cargo.

You can see the cyclone’s damage in Mundra in this video, sent by local sources.

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