Tata Chemicals announced force majeure on shipments of soda ash to South Africa after government restrictions resulted in the closure of several berths at Maydon Wharf including Tata Chemicals South Africa’s berth at Maydon Wharf 14.
The South African government has placed restrictions on the continued operation of various business activities, including port operations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Berth availability at Maydon Wharf is currently limited to the movement of essential goods, and at this time, soda ash has not been designated as essential by the South African government. For this reason, Tata Chemicals South Africa (TCSA) has declared force majeure for all bulk shipments of soda ash to South Africa.
The company is in the process of addressing the issue, through the relevant legal and government channels, with the aim that soda ash may be designated as an essential product during the COVID-19 crisis.
As a result of this, Tata Chemicals Soda Ash Partners (TCSAP) must also declare force majeure, as per its contractual terms, for all soda ash shipments to South Africa with immediate effect.
This affects voyages for South Africa as follows: voyage 2010 on M/V Diamond Land and voyage 2008 on M/V Caledonia.