No acute shortage of containers for India's maritime trade: Sonowal

New Delhi: There is no acute shortage of containers for India's maritime trade, Ports, Shipping and Waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Sonowal said the Directorate General of Shipping is promoting the ownership and operation of containers by Indian entities as a long-term solution.

"There is no acute shortage of containers," he said.

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The minister stated that the recent challenges stemmed from the Red Sea crisis, which began late in 2023 and persisted into early 2024 and this crisis led to a significant diversion of ships from the Suez Canal to the Cape of Good Hope, increasing transit times by 35 to 40 per cent.

"Consequently, this caused delays at major global ports and elevated charter hire costs," he said.

Replying to a query on the expansion of port capacities, he said the expansion has been significant across all 12 major ports in India from 2014-15 to 2023-24.

"For instance, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port increased its capacity by 31.29 per cent, while Paradip Port saw a substantial rise of 141.86 per cent. Other ports, such as Chennai, Cochin, and New Mangalore, also reported notable increases," he said.

Overall, Sonowal said the total capacity of these ports surged by 87.01 per cent, showcasing the government's commitment to enhancing maritime infrastructure.

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