Mundra Port operations resume as empty-yard operators call off 13-day strike

Empty container yard operators have called off their 13-day strike against APSEZ’s empty-yard code restrictions, restoring operations at Mundra Port. Operations resumed from 10 a.m. on Thursday.

The disruption had stalled empty-container pickups and affected freight forwarders, transporters and shipping-linked supply chains since it began on August 28, when the Mundra Empty Container Yards & Allied Services Provider Association (MECYASA) suspended operations in protest against a new Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) directive. Under the policy, effective September 1, shipping lines could nominate empty containers only to designated yards within the Mundra Port SEZ, freezing empty-yard codes for facilities located outside the port boundary. APSEZ had said the change was intended to strengthen security, reduce road congestion, improve truck turnaround times and curb alleged misuse of empty-depot codes.

The strike quickly widened after the Kandla Mundra Container Transport Welfare Association, representing roughly 1,500 transporters, halted container pickups in solidarity with the depot operators, compounding disruption across the port’s container ecosystem. Customs brokers had estimated around 5,000 containers a day were being held up at the peak of the standoff, with several shipping lines including CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC and Ocean Network Express issuing customer advisories on the affected operations.

Even as the standoff continued, APSEZ pressed ahead with plans to launch a dedicated Empty Container Yard (ECY) at Mundra, integrated with warehousing, as part of its Ambition 2031 roadmap. The company said the new facility is designed to offer end-to-end services across the empty container lifecycle, including storage, maintenance, inspection and movement to exporters and Container Freight Stations, aiming to deliver faster turnaround times, cut unnecessary container movements and optimise logistics costs.

With operations now resumed, industry sources expect a period of backlog clearance at the port, with queue lengths, truck appointment availability and congestion likely to remain elevated in the near term as pending empty-container pickups and gate-ins are worked through.