Recently, a rather dramatic seizure of containerized goods took place at the Nhava Sheva Port in India, blocking a batch of goods originating from China. Nhava Sheva Port is one of the crucial ports in India for handling container trade and is the second busiest port after Mundra Port. This incident has spurred all major ports in India to consider raising inspection standards.
According to reliable industry sources, 122 containers seized from the “Wan Hai 513” ship of Wan Hai Lines are under investigation. The ship, built in 2012 and flying the Singapore flag, has a capacity of 4,500 TEU and is a container ship deployed by Wan Hai Lines on the CI2 (China-India) route. It called at Qingdao Port on April 10, Shanghai Port from April 15 to 16, Ningbo Port on April 18, and Guangzhou Nansha Port from April 20 to 21.
Based on available data, the ship’s last voyage arrived at Nhava Sheva Port on May 3. Sources indicate that the containers were loaded with goods from China such as microchips, but the specific reasons and details have not been officially announced. However, the Indian customs department is closely monitoring these goods and has requested detailed information, including import manifests and inspection reports.
Nhava Sheva Port, a major port in India, has been witnessing a steady increase in cargo throughput. Nevertheless, with the growth in cargo volume, port congestion has become increasingly severe. Recently, the owners of trailer companies have been fretting as the piled-up goods and queuing vehicles have become a headache.
The Container Operators Association at Nhava Sheva Port has stated that its members and trailer company drivers have been voicing numerous complaints, vexed by situations where goods are detained for over 24 hours. Despite facing multiple challenges, Nhava Sheva Port has had a good start to this fiscal year. According to the latest data, the cargo throughput in April increased by 5.5% year-on-year, reaching approximately 551,000 TEU. This growth trend reflects the rapid expansion of Sino-Indian trade volume and also underlines the significance of Nhava Sheva Port in international trade.
Industry insiders are murmuring that although this is not the first instance of seized goods imported from China, the scale of this seizure is unusually large. At the same time, this serves as a reminder to our cross-border sellers that it is imperative to strictly abide by relevant laws and regulations and manage risks effectively to avoid losing both money and goods.
