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Due to container shortages, rising sea freight rates, and worsening port congestion nationwide, Indian manganese alloy exporters are facing significant logistics challenges.
They stated that exporters have found that their profits are not only squeezed by the decline in alloy prices, but also affected by rising costs of imported and domestically produced iron ore, as well as rising shipping costs. Over the past two weeks, these issues have forced them to transport goods from eastern India to southern India.
In eastern India, freight rates to Europe and the United States have significantly increased. In the past two weeks, freight to Rotterdam Port in Europe has increased by approximately $2,,000 per container to $4,000 per container, and freight to Houston, USA has surged to $5,000 per container.
They stated that the long queue of ships waiting for berths has delayed the delivery of manganese alloys and increased the difficulty for exporters to finalize transactions.
The current delay time for obtaining available containers is approximately 10-15 days.
In southern India, containers are easier to purchase. Due to the shortened waiting time for containers, some traders exporting from Kolkata and Vizag ports have shifted their business to Vizag ports. But many exporters still find it difficult to ship their products to Europe and the United States, as ensuring the supply of container ships heading west is more difficult compared to ships heading to Asia Pacific countries.
Customs data shows that from January to April this year, India's manganese alloy export volume was 537,748 tons, a decrease of 8% from 586,315 tons in the same period last year.