Industry flags high shipping fees despite no container shortage : Piyush Goyal

NEW DELHI : The Ministry of Commerce and Industry recently held inter-ministerial discussion with stakeholders from the shipping industry, customs, Concor, Railways, exporters, freight forwarders and other logistics sectors on issues related to trade from ports.

Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal tweeted that the meeting had witnessed discussions on opportunities for the industry & possible areas for betterment, including efficient container movement for greater integration into the global economy to meet India’s export goals.

while no container shortages have been reported due to subdued demand, terminal handling charges were a key topic of discussion. Concerns were raised about dry ports and Inland Container Depots (ICDs) being underutilised as goods increasingly move via road. Additionally, the industry flagged instances of shipping lines charging fees higher than those levied by ports.

Last week, the Minister stated that India’s exports are projected to exceed $800 billion in the current fiscal year, a 2.8% increase compared to $778 billion in the previous year. Highlighting challenges such as the Red Sea crisis and its impact on shipping lines, he noted that exports to developing and least-developed countries (LDCs) have been affected by the ongoing forex crisis since the COVID-19 pandemic.