Having weathered one of the worst floods in the history of Tuticorin and losses running into crores, Export and Import (Exim) operators got relief after V O Chidambaranar (VOC) port authorities declared non-weather working days for four days from December 17 to 21, 2023 when the city was ravaged by the floods.
The declaration will help port users including Exim operators, stevedores and private container freight station operators, who were affected by the floods, get some relief from demurrage and laytiming charges laid by vessel owners.
Demurrage is a charge paid to ship owners when cargo loading or unloading is delayed beyond the agreed period while laytime is the allotted time given to vessels to load or unload the cargo.
“Vessel owner will charge the exporter and importer for the extra number of days the vessel stays in the port according to the charter party agreement between the vessel owner and the importer or exporter,” says M Bala, manager of BL Transports. As the port has declared non-weather working days for the four days when the cargo operation was halted, the importer can use this clause to avoid extra charging by vessel owner, he said.