JOIN USStevedores plea to end strike
According to a press release, owing to the lightening strike by the cargo handling workers without prior notice to the port or trade, many vessels are going on demurrage causing a huge loss to the export/import trade, stevedores, shipping companies/charteres and also huge loss to the national exchequer in the form of demurrages during recession.
It is also learnt that some of the ship/cargo owners are diverting their vessels to other neighbouring ports. There are 12 ships at berth and 29 vessels are waiting to enter the Port.
The farmers in Karnataka badly require fertiliser to carry out their plantation work and any delay in receipt of fertiliser may jeopardise the cultivation process.
The fertiliser vessel has arrived at NMPT on July 31 with 32,469 MT of imported urea and discharged 1,661 MT.
However, the port labourers went on a strike on August 1 and 2 and resumed discharge operations only on the fertilser vessel at August 3 at 7.45 pm after holding talks with Traffic Manager and port labour unions.
Till Tuesday morning, they could discharge only 1,023 MT and on Tuesday with the first shift, they have discharged 1,118 MT. The balance cargo on board is 28,358 MT.
The discharge operations only on the fertiliser vessel is in progress but they have not resumed cargo operations in other ships which are berthed in the port.