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Over 5,000 containers stuck at Mumbai port amid growing Middle East conflict
Besides fruits and vegetables, about 200,000 tonnes of basmati rice are also stuck at various ports, according to All-India Rice Exporters Association
- PUBLISHED: Thu 5 Mar 2026, 6:24 PM
[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog amid Israeli, US strikes on Iran for the latest regional developments.]
More than 5,000 export containers, including about 1,000 refrigerated units carrying perishable fruits and vegetables, are stranded at Mumbai's Mumbai's Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) because of the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war.
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Demand for fruits and vegetables from India shoots up in the Gulf during Ramadan and many of the exporters have lined up containers with the perishable stuff. But with the US-Iran war raging, there are fears that the perishable commodities may not last long, resulting in hefty losses for the exporters.
Sunil Vaswani, executive director of the Container Shipping Lines Association, told the media that containers continue to pile up at JNPT and other Mumbai ports. Sanjay Pansare, an exporter, said more than 150 containers of fruits and onion are held up at the port. In all, about 200 containers may have to be pulled out of the facility and sold in the local markets, resulting in a glut of supplies and a crash in the price of these perishable commodities, he warned.
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A JNPT spokesperson told reporters that all reefer containers are plugged in and the port is providing stacking and extended storage to the exporters. Ashok Karpe, an onion exporter at JNPT, said the costs are rising daily. Electricity for the containers carrying perishable commodities is expensive and the costs keep shooting up. “This is unprecedented and because the cargo is highly perishable, containers must remain plugged into power with costs rising daily,” he told the media.
Besides fruits and vegetables, about 200,000 tonnes of basmati rice are also stuck at various ports, said Satish Goyal, president, All-India Rice Exporters Association. The bulk of India’s basmati rice exports (about 80 per cent) are for the Gulf market.
With the war likely to continue over the coming days, some container lines have stopped accepting new bookings for the Middle East. Others have also imposed stiff, war-related surcharges. Insurance premiums are also shooting up for consignments headed to the Gulf, said reporters who also sought relief on insurance premiums.
