South Asian ports reopen after flooding

South Asian ports reopen after flooding    The ports of Chennai in southern India and Colombo in Sri Lanka were damaged by the Indian Ocean tsunami on Dec. 26, but all South Asian ports affected by the waves or flooding have resumed operations, according to industry sources.
   Maersk Sealand reported today that four out of six gantry cranes at the port of Chennai are now back in operation, and that the terminal is able to handle vessels. “However, due to the reduced amount of operational cranes, only two vessels can be loaded/unloaded simultaneously,” the carrier said. The Indian port closed operations on the morning of Dec. 26 amid flooding.
   “No major activity is taking place as the roads outside the port are blocked by traffic and road damages,” Maersk Sealand added, commenting on landside port operations at Chennai.
   The port authorities of Chennai are reportedly carrying out a survey of the channel and berth.
   In the ports of Cochin and Tuticorin, also in southern India, and Colombo, in Sri Lanka, port operations are back to normal.
   Maersk Sealand reported that no other ports in West India, Pakistan, Aden, Hodeida, Djibouti and Muscat were affected by the tsunami.
   Ports are working normally in Malaysia and Thailand, according to shipping line sources.
   “The earthquake and the resulting tsunami tidal waves did not result in an extended disruption in vessel or terminal services in the areas affected,” APL said in a statement. “Vessel movements and loading/discharging of cargo are on schedule and APL’s offices remain open across the region, including those in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, India,
Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar.”
   The tsunami has created what appears to be minor disruptions to the schedules of liner services.
   Zim said that one of its ships bypassed Colombo, but all its ships continued operations normally. A ship of the Grand Alliance also canceled a call at Colombo, while another was delayed in the Sri Lankan port.
   OOCL reported that a terminal in Colombo was damaged by the feeder “Jaami,” pushed in by the tsunami. “Berth disruptions and delays/misconnections of transshipments are expected in the coming weeks,” it warned.
   APL said that it does not anticipate “any significant changes” to its operations over the coming weeks due to the tsunami.
   Several major air carriers operating in Asia and India have confirmed that there have not been significant delays or cancellations of scheduled cargo flights operating from areas affected by the giant tsunami that struck over the weekend, Expeditors International said in a customer bulletin.
   However, the freight forwarder cautioned that the influx of relief supplies being shipped to the region could cause short-term delays as airports get congested with flights and cargo.