Exports from this port are likely to be affected further consequent on non-filling up of the post of port officer in the anchorage port. The Department of Ports appointed a port officer last year on one year contract after allowing rice exports from the age-old anchorage port.Even as the exports are at its peak from the port, the tenure of the port officer was over last week and he left. The department neither extended his tenure nor appointed a new officer, leaving the day-to-day operations in limbo. As of now, 27 vessels meant for exports are being anchored at the port, where the exports of rice and maize are moving at a snail’s pace.
“Since there is no monitoring from the higher-ups, the loading works are not going on smoothly. It remained a major problem for the barges, which are unable to deliver the goods in time for administrative reasons,” said Mr. Burra Anu Babu, Chairman of the Kakinada Port Steel Barge Owners Welfare Association. All the 89 steel barges in the port could handle a total freight capacity of 36, 000 tonnes a day.
The traders too are worried over the slowdown of loading from the port, as they feel that it may lead to the levying of demurrage at the end of the contract. “Rice weighing 4.31 lakh tonnes has to be exported to South Africa before Christmas. There is a slowdown in the loadings and we do not know how much time it will take to send the consignments,” stated Mr. Dantu Surya Rao, Chairman of the Cocanada Chamber of Commerce. “We don’t have any new export contracts in our hands at this moment. In case of delay in sending the vessels now, it may affect further trade,” he deplored.
No comments:
Post a Comment