Emirates Shipping Line imposed a “trade surcharge” on import containers handled at India’s Port of Chennai.
Effective immediately, the Middle East carrier’s surcharge on dry and reefer cargo is $120 per 20-foot equivalent unit.
“As severe congestion at Chennai Port is resulting in a trade imbalance, we have decided to implement a surcharge,” ESL said.
Chennai, India’s second-largest container gateway after Nhava Sheva, has been plagued over the past few months by delays caused by terminal congestion amid surging import volumes and evacuation problems.
Meanwhile, Maersk Line said it reorganized its Chennai Express Service (CHX) that connects South India with the Far East. The service would no longer call at Port Kelang, Malaysia, which the Danish carrier said would help improve service reliability.
The new CHX rotation is Qingdao, Xingang, Shanghai, Nansha, Tanjung Pelepas, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Tanjung Pelepas and back to Qingdao.
Maersk said it would continue to cover cargo to and from Port Kelang via transshipment over Tanjung Pelepas.
The Journal of Commerce Online