“On December 21, we found several warehouses at CFS were inundated with nearly five feet of water. Inside, we saw that two to three feet of water had damaged a large number of goods"

TIRUPPUR: After goods worth crores of rupees stored in warehouses inside Container Freight Stations (CFS) near Tuticorin port were destroyed, garment exporters in Tiruppur are a worried lot.  

Tiruppur Exporters Association (TEA) president KM Subramaniam said, “Warehouses in CFS are located on a higher ground to avoid water damage. These warehouses are also strong and sturdy. Despite this, they were affected as a pond near the facility overflowed. I have sent two office-bearers to assess the situation.”

“On December 21, we found several warehouses at CFS were inundated with nearly five feet of water. Inside, we saw that two to three feet of water had damaged a large number of goods, and lakhs of cartons were completely damaged. We could not find workers inside the facility. As an emergency measure, garment units in Tiruppur are sending their workers to safeguard the remaining goods. Most of the stock is meant for export. Marine insurance covers these goods; however, the extent of compensation and insurance coverage could not be determined,” Duraisamy told TNIE.

An official from the port said, “On December 18, there was a massive power shutdown. In the evening, we used generators and restored the power supply temporarily. For the remainder of the week, we worked with minimal staff and managed to load four vessels, instead of eight. On December 22, the power supply was restored, but we still had a manpower crisis. Some warehouses at CFS were flooded. Assessors from insurance firms are carrying out survey and the extent of damage will be known in 4-5 days.”

Published on : 25th December 2023

Source : The New Indian Express