Cargo stakeholders using Adani Group’s container terminals at Kattupalli and Ennore ports in South India are facing mounting delays, severely impacting productivity for vessels and the broader supply chain.
Once seen as alternatives to Chennai’s historically congested port infrastructure, Kattupalli and Ennore have become key hubs for liners serving India’s east coast. However, recent operational challenges have drawn concern from the trade.
Industry sources attribute the disruptions to glitches in newly implemented terminal operating systems (TOS), which are crucial for coordinating vessel, yard, and gate operations. These issues have caused significant slowdowns across the logistics chain, affecting both exporters and importers.
Customs brokers have voiced their frustrations, with the Chennai Customs Brokers Association (CCBA) describing the delays as “alarming.” The association highlighted specific pain points, including prolonged wait times for crucial documents like “equipment interchange receipts” for container allotments and “Form 13s” that authorise truck entry into terminals.
“The delays have considerably hampered the gate-in of export shipments and the issuance of import delivery orders”
The operational bottlenecks have also led to increased container dwell times and escalating costs for trade stakeholders. Export shipments are struggling to meet gate-in timelines, while import delivery orders are being issued with considerable delays. Additionally, disruptions in container scanning processes have resulted in lengthy truck queues outside the terminals, further compounding the problem.
CCBA has urged its members to share their challenges for presentation to relevant authorities, emphasising the urgent need for solutions to restore efficiency and minimise trade disruptions.
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