Large loads to Europe stranded in Indian ports after MSC Aries seizure

Indian shippers and freight forwarders are again facing cargo flow hiccups…The latest blow comes from the seizure on Saturday 13 April  of the MSC Aries by Iranian military forces near the entrance to the Persian Gulf at the Strait of Hormuz.

 The 14,300-TEU ship was part of Mediterranean Shipping Co.’s Himalaya Express (HEX) service between India and North Europe, with weekly calls at Nhava Sheva and Mundra.

According to local port berthing updates, the MSC Aries had an estimated time of arrival in Nhava Sheva of April 16, with some 2,400 containers planned for loading out of the port. Additionally, port sources put Nhava Sheva-bound imports aboard the abducted vessel at about 350 containers.

Declared container moves at Mundra on the vessel were not immediately known, but the service has substantial space allocations for both ports of call.

The HEX is a premier routing on the trade lane, using large vessels in the 14,000-TEU range, and includes Shipping Corporation of India as a co-loader. The loop’s known stops are Colombo, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Salalah, Jeddah, King Abdullah, Gioia Tauro, Valencia, Felixstowe, Antwerp, Rotterdam and Hamburg.

Local trade sources have suggested MSC could deploy an extra loader soon to clear up export containers trapped at Nhava Sheva/Mundra terminals, including a potential option to feed cargo to hub ports served under its mainline network. But the fate of the import cargo destined for India is unknown while the Aires remains in Iranian custody.

Subject to space availability, some of the outbound containers could also be rolled to the next regular HEX sailing, the MSC Renee that’s due to dock at Nhava Sheva on April 20, sources say.

But cargo planning is typically challenging for unscheduled or temporary sailings…“All Nhava Sheva-bound cargo will now be discharged at Mundra port on April 16 and further be relayed to Nhava Sheva,” MSC Agency (India) said in a customer advisory.

Things happen with reference to no one in particular; that is why they are called accidents. Can planners always guarantee execution?