Mumbai: India`s busiest ports, Mumbai
Port Trust (MPT) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) are
likely to lose revenues of over Rs 100-crore together due to
collision of ships which has forced them to shut down their
operations, a senior official said.
"Both JNPT and MBT will face a revenue loss of over Rs
100-crore as they suspended their operations from last week.
The loss may increase if the shutdown continues for another
3-4 days," the Port official who did not wish to be named said
here today.
The operations of country`s two major ports were
suspended after collision between two ships off the Mumbai
coast last week that resulted in an oil spill.
It is expected that both the ports will remain shut
until the cleaning-up operation in the shipping lane is
completed, the official said.
There are almost 8-9 vessels entrapped in JNPT since
last week due to the shutdown. Almost 13 vessels, which were
anchored outside the port, have been diverted to other ports,
the official said.
Apart from revenue loss, the closure is going to
hamper the whole business cycle of maritime trade, the
official said.
"Overall 40 per cent of the exim-trade of the country
has been affected by now as a short-term impact. But in the
long-term, it will be much bigger," he said.
Two Panamanian cargo ships--MSC Chitra and merchant
vessel Khalija--collided on August 7 off the Mumbai coast
and caused the oil-spill.
PTI
