[281114.EN.SEA] Indian Bureaucratic Storm Looms as Banned Chinese Cranes Move to Mumbai

WHETHER New Delhi will look the other way or make a fuss has yet to be determined as DP World's terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port prepares to erect four banned Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co (ZPMC) cranes from Shanghai.

The Indian Government had banned the Shanghai company's cranes in state-owned ports of which Jawaharlal Nehru Port is one because of difficulties with relations with China, reports the UK's Container Management.

Indian security services have formally banned the Shanghai company from supplying India's state-owned ports due to ZPMC links with the Chinese government. It is also true that exceptions can and have been made.

Unlike other state-owned ports, Jawaharlal Nehru port did not seek a security clearance from the government for the cranes, which were ordered by DP World last year.

Said DP World: "The necessary permissions from the Port Authority have been granted for the purchase of ZPMC cranes and we have not been informed of any ban by government authorities."

It is understood that the port did not seek security clearance because it needed to increase capacity and did not want to delay the opening of the DP World terminal.

ZPMC is the biggest port crane maker in the world and the largest supplier of port gear to Indian ports, with about 146 cranes in operation.

Source : HKSG.