Indian shippers and freight forwarders are again facing cargo flow hiccups after recovering from unsettled vessel schedules linked to the Red Sea crisis that saw carriers add extra capacity to manage the longer transits around southern Africa.
The latest blow comes from the seizure on Saturday of the MSC Aries by Iranian military forces near the entrance to the Persian Gulf at the Strait of Hormuz. The 14,300-TEU ship was part of Mediterranean Shipping Co.’s Himalaya Express (HEX) service between India and North Europe, with weekly calls at Nhava Sheva and Mundra.
According to local port berthing updates, the MSC Aries had an estimated time of arrival in Nhava Sheva of April 16, with some 2,400 containers planned for loading out of the port. Additionally, port sources put Nhava Sheva-bound imports aboard the abducted vessel at about 350 containers.
Declared container moves at Mundra on the vessel were not immediately known, but the service has substantial space allocations for both ports of call.
The HEX is a premier routing on the trade lane, using large vessels in the 14,000-TEU range, and includes Shipping Corporation of India as a co-loader. The loop’s known stops are Colombo, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Salalah, Jeddah, King Abdullah, Gioia Tauro, Valencia, Felixstowe, Antwerp, Rotterdam and Hamburg.
Extra loader may clear trapped export containers
Local trade sources have suggested MSC could deploy an extra loader soon to clear up export containers trapped at Nhava Sheva/Mundra terminals, including a potential option to feed cargo to hub ports served under its mainline network. But the fate of the import cargo destined for India is unknown while the Aires remains in Iranian custody.
Subject to space availability, some of the outbound containers could also be rolled to the next regular HEX sailing, the MSC Renee that’s due to dock at Nhava Sheva on April 20, sources say.
“MSC often has ad-hoc sailings to and from India, mostly out of Mundra where it has ‘own terminal’ advantages and growing hub interests,” a Mumbai-based liner industry executive who did not want to be identified, said. “The backlogged cargo pressure should ease in a couple of weeks.”
But cargo planning is typically challenging for unscheduled or temporary sailings. To cite one example, Mediterranean Shipping Co. has announced that the MSC Katie, one of its ad-hoc ships originally en route to both Nhava Sheva and Mundra this week for Europe loads, will skip the former call, lined up for April 18. The vessel was expected to discharge some 2,000 containers and lift 200 export boxes at Nhava Sheva.
“All Nhava Sheva-bound cargo will now be discharged at Mundra port on April 16 and further be relayed to Nhava Sheva,” MSC Agency (India) said in a customer advisory.
