Even after 28 months of commercial operations, India’s export-import community appears largely unaware of the advantages offered by Trivandrum port. Many traders remain tied to legacy gateways and circuitous routes. A consignment dispatched from an Indian east-coast port last week illustrates the scale of this inefficiency.
The container departed on 8 November and reached Singapore on 16 November. After a nine-day dwell time and transshipment charges debited to the exporter, it loaded onto a second vessel on 24 November. A 20-day voyage brought it to Busan, South Korea, on 13 December. Following another transshipment, it sailed on 19 December for Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, arriving on 5 January. It then underwent a third transshipment onto a fourth vessel, departing on 14 January to reach Corinto, Nicaragua, on 19 January. The circuitous journey took 73 days across five ports and four vessels—with every terminal handling fee and delay added to the exporter’s invoice.
The full story is in this week’s subscriber edition.