Category Archives: Shipping

PMO figures covered in latest report by the official IRNA news agency showed that Iran’s ports capacity would reach 280 million tons per year with the completion of a handful projects this year. The report said total port handling capacity in Iran was around 180 million tons in the summer of 2013 when the current administrative government took office for a first four-year term. It said container capacity at ports, which is measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), will have doubled by mid-summer this year compared to eight years ago to reach a total of 8.5 million TEU. It said passenger handling at ports will have reached a target of 25 million people per year this year, up from 14 million in August 2013. The expansion of capacity in Iranian ports comes despite massive restrictions facing the country in the past three years because of US sanctions.

All the major port trusts with the exception of New Mangalore Port Trust handled much higher volumes during the first two months of the fiscal year that began in April from a year earlier. Deendayal Port Trust, India’s top State-owned port by cargo volumes, handled 22.799 mt during April-May from 17.189 mt a year ago, posting a growth of 32.64%, according to the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways. Paradip Port Trust handled 20.507 mt of cargo from 16.097 mt, an increase of 27.4% Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust handled 12.513 mt of cargo from 8.026 mt, registering a growth of 55.91%. Visakhapatnam Port Trust handled 11.832 mt of cargo, 18.95% more than the 9.947 mt handled during the same period last year. Mumbai Port Trust handled 9.210 mt from 7.541 mt a year ago, posting a growth of 22.13%. Kolkata Port Trust handled 9.090 mt from 7.438 mt with a growth of 22.21%.

Responding to the trade data for May, 2021, Sharad Kumar Saraf, President, FIEO said that the continuing impressive growth in exports reiterate our assessment that order booking position of our exporters is not only extremely good but also the gradual opening up of major global markets and improvement of situation in the country is expected to push exports growth further. President FIEO said that growing by about 8% even on the base of May 2019 reflects a positive trend for the sector. FIEO Chief added that such a growth during the month has been mainly on account of growth in Petroleum products, Engineering goods and Gems & Jewellery, the major contributors to the country’s export basket, which have shown impressive performance compared to May, 2020. He also said that 19 out of 30 major product groups of exports have either shown a very impressive high positive growth starting with 3-digit defying all the odds when there is still a bit of scepticism persisting in the global economy on the expectation of a third wave of Covid-19 pandemic.

VO Chidambaranar Port Trust (VOC Port Trust), Tuticorin, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Technology Centre for Ports Waterways & Coasts (NTCPWC), IIT Madras, for Operation, Manning and Maintenance of Vessel Traffic System & Development of Indigenous Vessel Traffic Software (VTS) at VOC Port Trust. The duration of the MoU for maintenance and updating of the entire system shall be for a period of five years, extendable by another five years, says a press release from VOC Port Trust. NTCPWC would maintain the existing Vessel Traffic Service, develop indigenous Vessel Traffic System software for VOC Port, that would facilitate identification, tracking, analysis of shipping traffic, real-time information for Pilots, monitoring of meteorological warnings, and integration of existing Automatic Identification System (AIS). In addition, NTCPWC will also carry out assessment of the existing VTS functionalities, hardware, software, identify suitable upgrade and provide technical proposal to VOC Port for the VTS system upgrade and maintenance.

Federal Bank launched an exclusive NR savings account scheme for Seafarer segment. This scheme is specially curated and crafted for the mariners and offers best in class services clubbed with state-of-the-art digital banking platforms that allows the mariners to execute banking transactions seamlessly, irrespective of the geo coordinates and time zone differences. The scheme is available in both NRE SB and NRO SB variants. The facilities offered in the scheme are preferential exchange rate for monthly inward remittances, premium debit card with domestic airport lounge access, linked zero balance NRO account and bespoke financial planning and customized wealth management products and services. Officially launching the account scheme, Shalini Warrier, Executive Director of the Bank remarked “Federal Bank has always been a pioneer in the Non Resident customer segment. With a market share of over 6.6% in this business, along with a market share in excess of 17% in personal inward remittances to India, the Bank lives by the mantra of “Digital at the fore, human at the core”.

Chennai Port crossed yet another milestone despite the ravaging pandemic, when the container vessel MV CMA CGM BERLIOZ berthed at Chennai International Terminal Pvt. Ltd (operated by PSA international) and handled 8,819 TEUs comprising 4,645 import TEUs and 4,174 export TEUs. This surpassed the previous record of 8,397 TEUs handled by MV APL ENGLAND on December 8, 2020. Port Chairman Sunil Paliwal and Deputy Chairman S. Balaji Arunkumar, lauded the workers and management of Chennai International Terminal as well as the officials and workforce of Chennai Port for the achievement and wished them more such landmarks in future, informed a port release.

As part of Operation Samudra Setu II, INS Shardul, the Indian Navy ship of the Southern Naval Command, arrived in Kochi on 27th May with four ISO containers carrying 87 MT of liquid medical Oxygen from Kuwait and the UAE. Operation Samudra Setu-II was launched by the Indian Navy for shipment of medical Oxygen-filled cryogenic containers and associated medical equipment from various countries in support of the nation’s fight against COVID-19. The deployment of frontline warships including destroyers, frigates, tankers and amphibious ships of the Navy for the operation forms a significant part of the multiple lines of efforts, by the Government of India and the Indian Navy to supplement the Oxygen requirement in the country, a Defence release said. “As part of the operation, INS Shardul embarked 319 Metric Tonnes (MT) of liquid medical Oxygen from Kuwait and UAE including 11 International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) containers, two semi-trailers and 1200 Oxygen cylinders.” “The ship arrived at New Mangalore Port on May 25, where it disembarked 231.77 MT of liquid medical Oxygen comprising seven ISO containers, two semitrailers and 1200 Oxygen cylinders”, it said.

The first export rake with reefer containers from Siliguri’s Dabgram ICD has reached Kolkata Dock System marking the opening up of direct access between Syama Prasad Mookerjee port and north Bengal. Reefer containers are refrigerated units that carry perishable items. The first rake operated by a private container train operator has brought 28 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEUs) of deep-frozen reefer cargo weighing over 500 tonnes on 29th May, the port authorities said. This direct rail connectivity opens up direct access of SMP, Kolkata to north Bengal and northeastern India, Port Chairman Shri. Vinit Kumar said. The port has an exclusive partnership with ICD Siliguri operated by Pristine Mega Logistics, the operator of the facility that will help boost trade opportunities in the region.

More than 6,000 oxygen concentrators, 500 oxygen cylinders, 60 cryogenic oxygen tanks, and several medical supplies and ventilators were transported into the country by A.P. Moller – Maersk through its ocean and air freight solutions for various institutions and corporates contributing to medical relief activities. Maersk has offered its ocean transportation service to institutions and organisations participating in medical relief at a nominal rate of 1 USD per container. All air freight shipments to India facilitated by Maersk are being done on a zero-profit basis. “The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us several lessons – empathy being one of the most important ones of them all. The crisis has urged us all to go beyond our business and support the society when it needs it the most. 15 of our top executives from different functions voluntarily got together in the early days of the second wave and put together ‘Project Oxygen War Room’, or POWR as they called it, to help society fight the virus”, said Vikash Agarwal, Managing Director, Maersk South Asia

“The sharp increase in demand has led to a shortage of containers across the world. Severe imbalances — such as with exports from Asia but also owing to congestion in ports and delays in hinterland transports — are causing containers to be tied up in transit for considerably longer periods of time. More boxes are currently needed overall to manage the same transport volume,” Hapag-Lloyd said in its announcement Wednesday. Just last month Hapag-Lloyd said it had ordered 150,000 TEUs of standard and refrigerated containers from a Chinese manufacturer to be delivered this year. The majority of the containers are expected to be delivered in the third quarter.