At Kandla, around 0.015 million TEUs — or roughly 15,000 twenty-foot equivalent containers — are lying stranded, while container vessels have temporarily suspended export gate-in activities at KICTPL
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS/AMIT DAVE
Exports of containers, rice shipments, LPG imports and bulk cargo such as sulphur and gypsum have been disrupted at India’s key west coast ports — Deendayal Port (formerly known as Kandla in Gujarat) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port (in Maharashtra) — as the escalating conflict in the Middle East and heightened security concerns across the Persian Gulf have delayed vessels, forced suspension of export gate-in activities and left thousands of containers stranded at terminals.
Close to 20,000 Middle East-bound containers are currently stuck at the two ports, with exporters unable to load cargo as several sailings have been postponed and shipping lines reassess vessel movement through the region. In a notice to trade, Deendayal Port Authority said maritime operations are being affected by the prevailing security situation. “Owing to the prevailing war situation and heightened maritime security concerns in the affected region, vessels and cargo movements have been impacted. The disruptions include postponement of sailings, operational delays, suspension of gate-in activities and logistical constraints,” the port authority stated.
At Kandla, around 0.015 million TEUs — or roughly 15,000 twenty-foot equivalent containers — are lying stranded, while container vessels have temporarily suspended export gate-in activities at KICTPL. Gate-in refers to the process where exporters bring containers into a port terminal so they can be loaded onto a scheduled vessel. When gate-in is suspended, exporters are unable to move their cargo into the terminal for shipment. Efficient Marine Services has also restricted gate movement for two vessels and is not accepting export cargo for ships such as MV Intersydney and MV Libra, further delaying shipments.
The disruption has also affected inbound bulk cargo shipments from the Persian Gulf, a major supply region for several industrial raw materials. Imports of about 3 lakh tonnes of sulphur, gypsum and iron ore expected during March have been delayed. The Persian Gulf shipping corridor is one of India’s most important trade routes, handling a large share of the country’s energy imports as well as exports of food grains, chemicals and engineering goods.
In addition, five LPG carriers scheduled to call at Kandla with imported cargo have been delayed, which could tighten LPG availability for industrial users and distributors in western India. Gujarat hosts a large number of ceramic, chemical and manufacturing units that rely on imported LPG as a key fuel, and prolonged delays in vessel arrivals could disrupt supply chains for local businesses.
Exporters have already begun postponing shipments amid the uncertainty. Rice exporter Suppletex has deferred dispatch of 30,000 tonnes of rice planned for export this month. Energy cargo movements have also been affected. The crude oil tanker MT Desh Vaibhav, carrying about 2.85 lakh tonnes of crude oil, has faced disruption due to delays in vessel movement.
A similar situation is unfolding at Jawaharlal Nehru Port — India’s largest container gateway located in Maharashtra — where about 5,000 Middle East-bound containers are currently stranded. The port has provided holding space within its premises for these containers to ease congestion at terminals and has arranged continuous power supply for around 1,000 refrigerated (reefer) containers, which carry temperature-sensitive perishable cargo. “Our effort is to see that the there is no congestion at the port and there is smooth flow of cargo to regions that remain unaffected by the current US-Iran conflict,” a JNPA official added.
Published on March 5, 2026