Shipping traders not to handle cargo from Kakinada Anchorage Port

Following the impasse over 1,064 metric tonnes of rice not being loaded on Panama-registered ship Stella-L despite submission of bank guarantees, shipping traders of Kakinada Port have decided not to handle cargo at the Anchorage Port for some time. The shippers feel the state government is imposing unreasonable restrictions on exporters. As per the rules and guidelines, goods that are perishable should not remain stocked for a long time, as they can get spoilt. Officials can release the seized perishable goods after taking bank guarantee as per the quantity.

Around that time, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan visited the port and ordered officials to seize the ship on the basis of PDS rice having been found on it. Shipping traders say they have not seen such an unprecedented case where rice has been seized despite having a bank guarantee. Also Read - Andhra Pradesh: Ministers vow to bring back 16 youth stranded in Saudi However, clarifying on the matter on Tuesday, collector Shan Mohan said a certain amount of PDS rice had been found on Stella-L ship. As a result, the ship has been detained. When traders requested the collector to release non-PDS rice for export for which bank guarantee has been given, the collector took the stand that in case an almirah is detected with smuggled goods, the entire almirah remains seized.

At a meeting that customs commissioner S. Narasimha Reddy convened on Tuesday, Stevedores Association president G. Chandrasekhar informed authorities that they are planning to defer handling export of white rice from the Anchorage Port until some clarity is received on rice export. The Cocanada Chamber of Commerce said it will convene a meeting on Wednesday to take a decision on the matter.