Maersk to use Pipavav exclusively in Gujarat

Maersk to use Pipavav exclusively in Gujarat    Maersk Line and subsidiary Safmarine have cemented a deal with a port in western India that requires all Maersk customers in the state of Gujarat to use the Port of Pipavav through March 2012, according to a report Monday in the Indian business newspaper Mint.
   The deal was made with Gujarat Pipavav Port Ltd., the entity that leases Pipavav's container terminal. Maersk sister company APM Terminals owns a 57 percent stake in GPPL and operates the Pipavav terminal.
   The deal has angered shippers who want to use the port of their choice in Gujarat. Other container ports in the state are Mundra and Kandla, with Mundra particularly enticing to shippers. Gujarat serves as a growing gateway to goods destined for the landlocked portions of northwestern India, including New Delhi and the capital region.
   The Mint report said the Gujarat Maritime Board was looking at the deal to see if it was anticompetitive.
   Maersk and APM Terminals didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.