West Asia crisis is not a profiteering opportunity: Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal

The West Asia crisis should not be a treated as a profiteering opportunity by shipping lines, union ports, shipping, and waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal said Friday. In a statement after a high-level review meeting, the minister noted the evolving situation in West Asia had initially disrupted cargo movement and vessel traffic, but coordinated measures ensured rapid stabilisation of port operations with minimal impact on trade. In a strong message to the sector, the minister instructed the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) to ensure complete transparency in shipping-related charges.

“This crisis must not become an opportunity for profiteering. All charges must be clearly documented and monitored to protect trade interests,” he said, adding nearly 90% of backlog cargo across major ports has been cleared.

The minister directed all port authorities to ensure that financial relief measures - including waivers on ground rent and concessions on reefer charges - are passed directly to stakeholders without delay or procedural bottlenecks. “This crisis must not become an opportunity for profiteering. All charges must be clearly documented and monitored to protect trade interests,” Sonowal said.



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This review also covered the functioning of grievance redressal mechanisms at ports, with Sonowal directing officials to strengthen systems to ensure swift resolution of stakeholder concerns during such disruptions.

India's DG Shipping Thursday directed ports to immediately ensure concessions for exporters with Gulf-bound stranded cargo, curbing procedural reimbursements or post-facto claims.

The apex maritime regulatory authority also red flagged higher war-risk insurance premiums levied on cargo, and instructed shipping lines to “transparently and proportionately” reflect the revisions in freight charges.





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“We received complaints that terminal operators were not immediately passing on (waivers of) detention charges, ground rent, and reefer plug-in charges to exporters but they were giving them on reimbursement basis,” had said Mukesh Mangal, additional secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways.