Seafood containers worth nearly ₹100 cr from Tamil Nadu stranded at sea amid US tariff hike: Report
Thoothukudi: Seafood exporters in the coastal town of Thoothukudi are grappling with a severe crisis, as the newly imposed 50% tariff by the United States has triggered widespread cancellations of orders in transit, leaving over 1,000 tonnes of seafood consignments worth nearly Rs 100 crore stranded at sea.
Thoothukudi exports frozen seafood like vannamei (Whiteleg shrimp), squid and octopus in large quantities to the US market; shrimp alone accounts for 85% of the export, as reported by The New Indian Express on Saturday.
“After the US President Donald Trump’s 50% tariff on Indian goods kicked in on August 27, the buyers are urging the exporters to either bear the difference in tariff hike or take back the consignments,” TNIE quoted Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) - TN Region president Selwin Prabhu as saying.
Though most exporters had already started reducing the volume of their exports due to the growing uncertainty over the tariffs, over 1,000 tonnes of seafood are still en route. Prabhu said that it takes nearly 45 days to ship these goods to US ports, such as New York or Los Angeles.
“Buyers want exporters to bear the 50% tariff cost to accept the consignments or they are threatening to return them. We entered into agreements with buyers when the tariff on Indian goods was 10%. The steep tariff of 50% has upended everything,” Prabhu added.
Shrimp export, which constitutes a major portion of exports to the US, is subject to an additional 8.5% duty on top of the 50% tariff. An exporter quoted by TNIE shared that he had shipped five to six containers, carrying approximately 100 tonnes of seafood, to the US market, with the goods expected to reach the New York port in the next 10 days. The buyer, however, had refused to accept the consignment due to the increased tariff and had asked the exporter to consult a liner for returning the goods.
As negotiations with buyers continue, exporters are deeply concerned about the potential long-term consequences for the industry. If the tariff situation persists, industry stakeholders fear massive job losses across the sector.
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2nd phase of Bengal poll: 39.97 per cent polling till 11 am amid sporadic violence
Kolkata (PTI): Nearly 40 per cent of the 3.21 crore electors voted till 11 am of the second phase of polling in West Bengal amid sporadic violence, while tension gripped the Bhabanipur seat briefly as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari took swipes at one another in the same booth area.
Voters queued up from 7 am outside booths in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Bardhaman districts, which form Bengal's electoral and political core.
Of the total electorate eligible to vote in this phase, 1.57 crore are women, and 792 are third-gender.
Till 11 am, West Bengal recorded 39.97 per cent polling with Purba Bardhaman registering the highest turnout at 44.50 per cent, followed by Hooghly at 43.12 per cent and Nadia at 40.34 per cent.
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Howrah recorded 39.45 per cent polling, while North 24 Parganas registered 38.43 per cent. Kolkata North and Kolkata South recorded 38.39 per cent and 36.78 per cent turnout, respectively.
South 24 Parganas, a politically crucial district witnessing several high-profile contests, recorded 37.9 per cent voting.
The first phase of polls in 152 Assembly seats of West Bengal on April 23 also recorded more than 41 per cent polling till 11 am.
"Polling is underway peacefully, barring some minor incidents in certain areas. We have sought reports from the officials concerned," a poll panel official said.
The early-morning convergence of Banerjee and Adhikari at the same booth area in Chakraberia turned Bhabanipur -- the chief minister's electoral bastion -- into the centrepiece of the day, reinforcing the symbolic weight of their prestige battle seen as a rematch of Nandigram, where the BJP leader had defeated her in 2021.
Banerjee was already seated outside the booth after receiving complaints of alleged intimidation of local TMC leaders when Adhikari arrived there amid heavy deployment of central forces.
Stepping out of his car, Adhikari declared, "I will not allow any hooliganism", while Banerjee accused the BJP of trying to "rig" the election using central forces, police observers and election officials.
"BJP wants to rig this election. Polls in Bengal are usually peaceful. Is there goonda raj here?" Banerjee told reporters, alleging CRPF personnel had visited the homes of TMC leaders late Tuesday night and unleashed terror in the area.
She alleged that election observers were acting at the BJP's behest and claimed TMC workers were being selectively targeted across districts.
Adhikari dismissed the charges as signs of "frustration", claiming Banerjee had realised that "not a single vote" was coming her way.
Banerjee, who usually steps out of her Kalighat residence late in the day to cast her vote at Mitra Institution School, broke convention and hit the ground before 8 am, moving through Chetla, Padmapukur and Chakraberia, underlining the stakes attached to Bhabanipur and the wider battle for south Bengal.
Reports of violence, vandalism and tension surfaced from several districts.
In Nadia district's Chapra, a BJP polling agent was allegedly assaulted inside a booth during a mock poll. The BJP accused TMC supporters of attacking its agent, while the ruling party denied the charge. In Shantipur, a BJP camp office was found vandalised.
In South 24 Pargana's Bhangar, the ISF alleged that its polling agents were prevented from entering booths.
Howrah's Bally constituency saw tension at a booth in Liluah after an EVM malfunction delayed voting, prompting central forces to lathi-charge agitated voters. Two people were arrested in the matter.
Police and RAF personnel were also seen chasing away crowds near a booth in Amdanga following complaints of unlawful gathering by bike-borne supporters.
In Panihati, BJP candidate Ratna Debnath, the mother of the RG Kar victim, faced protests and her car was allegedly stopped by TMC workers, while in Jagaddal, the recovery of a firearm near a polling booth triggered tension before police and central forces restored order.
BJP candidate from Basanti assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas, Bikash Sardar, on Wednesday, alleged that "200-250 TMC goons" attacked his car and assaulted his driver when he was visiting polling booths in the constituency.
The TMC did not immediately respond to the allegations.
Unlike the first phase, where the BJP sought to defend its north Bengal gains, the final round has shifted the battle squarely to the TMC's strongest belt.
In 2021, the ruling party had won 123 of these 142 seats, leaving just 18 for the BJP and one for the ISF. For the BJP, breaching this southern fortress remains critical if it hopes to mount a serious challenge for power in the state.
