India’s busiest container port partially re-opened today after being closed since the container ship MSC Chitra and the cargo ship Khalijia 3 collided 8km off the Mumbai shore on 7 August.
Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) let one ship through this morning and is allowing vessels with a draught of up to nine metres to move during high tide, according to reports.
Salvage firms have been fighting to remove some 400 containers that went overboard after two vessels collided, making the entry channel to the port unsafe for passage. It is reported that 31 containers hold hazardous chemicals and pesticides.
Rahul Asthana, Chairman of the Mumbai Port Trust told reporters the closure of the ports stranded about 32 vessels.
In a statement, A. Sakthivel, President of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said that this will impact about US$4 billion of trade cargo, if the situation is not addressed by the weekend
Source: Katerina Kerr, IFW News, 12 August 2010