September 12 - According to a communique from Sai Maritime & Management, only three Indian ports used by heavy lift shipping are currently reporting no delays in operations. In the remaining ports, delays ranging from one to 18 days are being experienced.

Sai Maritime reports that the ports with no waiting time at present are Krishnapatnam, New Mangalore and Cochin.

A number of reasons for the delays at the remaining ports are being put forward by port managers. At Nhava Sheva, the reduction of the quayside to 285 m caused by the relocation of two Rail Mounted Quayside Cranes (RMQC) from the main berths at the port has caused the slowdown. Ships with low drafts can berth earlier.

Chennai's waiting time is around two days but fluctuates and can increase or decrease depending on weather conditions and arrivals while Mumbai Port is also slightly congested due to heavy rains but is improving now.

The port of Mundra was highly congested last week's but is expected to improve in the near future. Operations have commenced at berth 9 and are anticipated to start at berth 10 by next month.

The remaining ports split into moderate and heavy delays. The ports of Kakinada, Gangavaram, Tuticorin and Goa are expected to see delays of under four days. At the remaining five ports, serious delays are being reported.

Haldia is experiencing delays of around a week, while waiting time for imports is about 15 days and about 10/12 days for export loadings at Kandla. 

Delays of two weeks are being experience at Vizag while operators are finding delays of almost three weeks at Paradip. 

In the next edition of HLPFI, we look at port and terminal operations. If you are interested in provided editorial material for this feature, contact editorial@heavyliftpfi.com For advertising opportunities, contactian@heavyliftpfi.com