Sri Lankan exporters are faced with a shortage of space on container ships for their shipments to Europe after several shipping lines diverted some of their services to India, forcing them to use air freight.

Shippers who fail to fi nd space on container ships are forced to air freight their shipments the cost of which can be 75 percent more than sea freight. Big lines like Maersk, UASC, K-line and Norasia have shifted some of their services to Nava Sheva, in Mumbai, reducing available container slots for cargo from Colombo by 600 TEUs a week.