Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) has re-issued the empty depot codes that were frozen from September 1 to all empty container yard operators at Mundra Port, paving the way for an end to the month-long strike over a new system for handling empty containers.
The resolution was finalised at a meeting on Saturday between the Mundra Empty Container Yards & Allied Services Provider Association (MECYASA) and senior APSEZ officials.
Under the agreed arrangement, APSEZ will collect ₹2,500 for 20-foot containers and ₹3,500 for 40-foot containers from shipping lines when empty containers are delivered to or picked up from Mundra Port. Shipping lines are expected to recover the charges from customers, according to sources familiar with the agreement.
APSEZ is also expected to issue a trade notice formally withdrawing its late-August decision to freeze the empty depot codes of operators located outside the port limits.
The earlier decision required shipping lines to nominate empty containers to designated empty container yards within Mundra SEZ limits, ending the practice of routing empty boxes to shipping-line-nominated depots outside the port area.
APSEZ had said the initiative was aimed at reducing road congestion and vehicle turnaround times, shortening container movements, optimising logistics costs, cutting truck travel and emissions, and strengthening container inspection, safety and security controls.
The move, however, triggered opposition from empty yard operators and led to a wider strike, with around 1,500 container transporters servicing Mundra Port also joining the disruption.
Mundra Port handles around 35% of India’s container trade and nearly 1.6 million TEUs of empty containers annually, making the resolution significant for the smooth functioning of the country’s import-export supply chains.