Why crisis for exporters could turn out to be a boon for shipping industry

Shipping companies counter that their costs have soared as well

In August, a group of exporters announced that it would app­roach the Competition Comm­ission of India to investigate possi­ble cartelisation by shipping lines. The basis of its complaints is skyrocketing freight rates — as much as three to four times over the last one year — and a 15 per cent drop in container availability.

But shipping companies claim this steep rise in logistics costs has been the result of the disruptions following worldwide national lockdowns as Covid-19 spread. Indian exporters aren’t the only ones suffering. US President Joe Biden directed the Federal Maritime Commission to crack down on “unjust and