India’s largest port operator refused to handle cargo from Iran,Afghanistan and Pakistan

India’s largest port operator refused to handle cargo from Iran,Afghanistan and Pakistan

DELHI – India's largest port operator has announced to not handle cargo from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan from November 15.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone in a statement on Monday said its “trade advisory will apply to all terminals operated by (Adani Ports) and including third party terminals at any (company) port till further notice".

The firm did not share reasons of abandoning the activity.

"The port has issued it to the concerned stakeholders," an Adani Group spokesperson said without giving any other details.

The decision comes weeks after Indian officials confiscated a huge cache – nearly three tonnes – of heroin from a consignment originated from Afghanistan. The seizure was made at western Gujarat's Mundra Port, run by Adani Ports.

In response to the seizures, Adani Ports had said it did not have the authority to examine the millions of tonnes of cargo handled at its terminals.

The containers, which were carrying heroin, had been declared as semi-processed talc stones from Afghanistan and had been shipped from Bandar Abbas Port in Iran to Gujarat Mundra port.