In September 2026, the container port of Nhava Sheva, Mumbai, experienced a long truck queue at its gates. The reason behind this was the current geopolitical situation developing in the Middle East; many cargo vessels were diverted to JNPT, increasing the surge in cargo intake, coupled with a shortage of trucks. This led to an increase in container dwell time, Gate-in taking longer than expected and long truck queues. The FIFO principle (first in, first out) could not be implemented, which resulted in sequenced containers sitting longer in the yard and vessel connections being missed. The export cost rose as the container price also rose dramatically, hitting small and mid-cap businesses. The chain reaction of the gate congestion was felt in all parts of the port operation, as the trucks were not able to enter with the goods which were assigned to a ship, leading to more delays. A container gate may look merely like a simple entry-exit point; however, it holds a very critical operational value, as any delay at the gate can impact the export-import volume for the nation. Congestion isn’t always where you see it Before we blame everything on the gate, the first thing is to understand where the congestion is developing from. A long truck queue outside the terminal does not always mean it is a gate problem; it can be a problem which has developed someplace else in the port supply chain but is prominently visible at the gate, leading to a bottleneck. The congestion problem may depend on the capacity of the terminal. If suddenly, for any reason, the terminal is receiving more cargo than usual, as was the case at JNPT for the last few months, it will lead to congestion. If the yard operation is not managed properly, where the first-in, first-out methodology is not followed, and there is no automation in tracking and placing the goods in the right place, it will add to the lead time. The infrastructure of the port, including roads, parking, bay space, space in the ya