The new fiscal year has gotten off to an uneven start for Indian exporters, who are contending with port omissions and schedule rerouting on major strings to Europe and the US.

While sustained demand is a factor for the strength on the India–US trade, sources say carriers are playing a “cherry-picking” policy while signing contracts with shippers or forwarders, prioritizing the ones they see as more lucrative partners.

For Indian shippers, frustration over capacity shortages have been compounded by rising vessel skips or port call changes.

A new loop from a consortium of carriers linking India and key ports in Asia demonstrates how carriers have been working to keep pace with resurgent export demand out of the country.