Container movement at Mundra Port has been disrupted after around 1,500 container transporters halted operations in support of a strike by empty container depot operators protesting Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd’s (APSEZ) decision to handle and store empty export-import containers within the port limits.
The Kandla Mundra Container Transport Welfare Association said its members have stopped picking up all types of containers with immediate effect and will withdraw vehicles from the roads from midnight on September 2 until further notice. The association warned that transport operations, container pick-up and deliveries could face delays.
The disruption follows APSEZ’s decision, effective September 1, to freeze empty yard codes outside the port limits and require shipping lines to nominate empty containers to designated yards within Mundra SEZ. APSEZ said the move would reduce road congestion, improve truck turnaround, shorten container movements, lower logistics costs and emissions, and strengthen safety and empty-container management.
The move has drawn criticism from the Container Shipping Lines Association (CSLA), which said there is no Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) notification restricting shipping lines from choosing nominated empty depots. CSLA Executive Director Sunil Vaswani said the APSEZ advisory could create logistical hurdles and increase costs, and urged the port operator to withdraw it.
Major carriers including MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, Evergreen Line and ONE have issued advisories warning of operational disruptions. MSC has suspended empty container allotments for factory stuffing and is not accepting empty gate-ins or returns at affected yards, while Evergreen advised exporters to review shipment schedules. COSCO Shipping also warned of delays due to empty-yard congestion.
However, carriers said cargo stuffing and gate-in operations at container freight stations serving Mundra remain unaffected.
The Mundra Empty Container Yards & Allied Services Provider Association, which began its strike on August 28, has opposed APSEZ’s restriction, arguing that shipping lines should retain the right to decide where their containers are stored, inspected, repaired and positioned.
The escalating dispute threatens to add pressure to Mundra’s container supply chain, with transporters now joining depot operators in the standoff.