JNPA waives storage fees for stranded West Asia-bound containers

JNPA is waiving storage and reefer plug-in charges for West Asia-bound export containers stranded by Gulf region geopolitical issues. The move, directed by the MoPSW, aims to support the EXIM community during the trade disruption.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) has issued a trade notice today regarding the waiver of storage/dwell time charges and reefer plug-in charges for West Asia-bound export containers stranded in the port area due to geopolitical disturbances in the Gulf region. This move follows the directives issued by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) on March 6, 2026, which established a "Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Major Ports to mitigate the impact of geo-political disturbances in the Middle East".

"In line with the MoPS&W directives, JNPA is committed to extending all possible assistance to the Export-Import (EXIM) community to tide over this crisis. JNPA have decided to offer a waiver on charges like ground rent and reefer plug-in charges to the stranded export containers," the notice said.

Coordinated Response and Task Force

Yesterday, another press release by JNPA highlighted that the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has issued the SOP for all the major ports to mitigate the impact of geopolitical disturbance in the Middle East. Accordingly, JNPort constituted a task force which included the Joint DGFT, Additional Commissioner of Customs, CGM (Traffic) JNPA, and the Deputy Director General of Shipping. Girish Thomas, CGM (Traffic) at JNPA, has been appointed as the Single Point of Contact for all coordination and communications related to these trade disruptions. The disruption has impacted vessel schedules and export cargo movement to the Middle East, prompting coordinated efforts between port authorities and trade stakeholders.

Waiver Details and Additional Support

In its latest notice, JNPA confirmed all terminal operators shall give a 100% waiver on ground rent and dwell time charges for up to 15 days (from 0000 hours on February 28, 2026, up to 2400 hours on March 14, 2026) for containers lying inside the terminals from February 28 or those that gated in till 0700 hours on March 8, 2026. Furthermore, terminal operators shall waive 80 per cent of the reefer plug-in charges up to 15 days (from 0000 hours on 28.02.2026 till 2400 hours on 14.03.2026) to those stranded reefer containers loaded with perishable goods, which were lying inside from 28th February 2026 or those which had gated in till 0700 hours on 08.03.2026 only.

JNPA is also providing additional storage area to the terminals for stacking such additional cargo and offering a facility to store stranded containers in the terminal's container yards till the cargo is shipped out. JNPA and the terminals are also in constant consultation with customs authorities to facilitate storage of laden containers from other ports destined to the Middle East, as temporary transhipment cargo at JNPA terminals. (ANI)

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