India ports hampered by strikes

   India’s two biggest container ports were impacted by strikes in the last week, according to news reports from the region.
   Nhava Sheva was hit by protests from farmers and politicians starting from Wednesday over government delays in providing land compensation packages to those displaced by planned port projects.
   The protests continued through the week, with cargo movement completely halted at India’s primary container gateway. OOCL said in a customer notice that “due to protests blocking terminal access, all container movement has ceased into and out of the Nhava Sheva port. Vessel schedule operations are also being impacted during the ongoing protests.”
   On Friday, the line said the strike had ended March 29 but that “terminal and gate congestion will be experienced until the work disruption created backlog can be processed.”
   Meanwhile, the country’s second biggest container port, Chennai, was hampered by two strike actions by truckers in the last two weeks. According to local reports, it has led to a backlog of more than 11,000 TEUs worth of containers. Vessel berthing was being suspending until Monday to clear the backlog.