Category Archives: Shipping

With an aim to allow consignees get their containers railed out on same rake/same day from APM Terminals Pipavav port, the Port has launched Rail-Out by Bill of Lading service so that all containers under one Bill of Lading can be cleared together at destination with less hassle. This saves considerable cost and time for importers on consignments planned for inland/hinterland locations. The service is available to any shipping line, NVOCC, consignee or their forwarders or agents. For sea shipments, shipping lines issue a Bill of lading with specific number of containers according to details provided by shippers/exporters. APM Terminals Pipavav offers rail-out of import containers grouped by Bill of Lading (B/L). This supports the Government of India’s “Ease of Doing Business” initiative. At the discharge port, due to differences in discharge timing, most of the time containers under same B/L get stacked separately. This results in the rail-out of these containers on different rakes/different days (First-in First-out principal). This service does not provide an early/priority rail out. It’s an assurance/support that the nominated containers will rail out together on single rake. All containers would follow first in-first out principle. Charge • Consignees/forwarders/agents will be charged USD 12/TEU or USD 16/FFE for the service Order Service • Register with APM Terminals Pipavav as consignee/forwarder/agent. • Open Pre-Deposit Account (PDA) with APM terminals Pipavav using the PDA Application Form. • Consignee or their agent send completed B/L Raila-Out Request Form (.xls) to APM Terminals Pipavav (see sidebar) 72 hours before vessel arrival

Maersk in collaboration with GatewayRail has launched the weekly double-stacked train service to provide the scheduled landside movement of automotive parts and components. The automotive manufacturing sector works on ‘Just-In-Time’ model for the supply chains of its parts and components. Automotive manufacturers require highly reliable logistics services that can move their raw material and finished products on precise schedules to ensure uninterrupted production processes. For years, several of these manufacturers based in and around Gurugram, northern part of India, have been dependent on staggered and unscheduled rail movement for their cargo going in and out of the country. Delayed imports hamper production schedules while delayed exports pile up inventories for the manufacturers. In response to the needs of the automotive sector, Maersk India has launched the first ‘Automotive Express’ whose first run was virtually flagged off on April 18, 2021 by Denmark’s Ambassador to India, His Excellency Freddy Svane. “Manufacturing is an extremely important building block of our country’s economy. As a service provider to this critical segment, our goal is to streamline their supply chains and offer highest levels of reliability” commented Vikash Agarwal, Managing Director, Maersk South Asia. He added, “With the ‘Automotive Express’, we are not only simplifying our automotive customers’ supply chains by offering integrated logistics solution that bundles ocean and landside transportation, but are also driving cost and time efficiencies through precisely scheduled movement of their cargo.” “GatewayRail is excited to jointly launch the new ‘Automotive Express’ with Maersk that connects customers to their global import and export destinations through the MECL and FI3 services at APM Terminals Pipavav Port. GatewayRail has been a pioneer in innovative intermodal services such as the ‘Ship to Rail …

Wan Hai Lines has launched a new weekly service between South China – Vietnam and West India (China West India no.8, CI8), further expanding on its already extensive intra-Asia and West India network by. The service will be operated by WHL independently and is composed of four container vessels with a capacity of 2,100 TEU. The maiden voyage is scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong on April 30, 2021. The CI8 is the sole service in the market offering direct link between Vietnam and West India and shall provide clients with faster transit time and more service options. It will also strengthen Wan Hai Lines’ current service deployments to better serve customers’ needs. Port rotation of the service is as following: HONG KONG – NANSHA – CAI MEP – PORT KLANG NORTH PORT – NHAVA SHEVA – COLOMBO – PORT KLANG NORTH PORT – DA NANG – HAIPHONG – HONG KONG

Seeing a slight decrease of 0.9 per cent compared to the previous year, Dachser’s consolidated net revenue totaled EUR 5.61 billion. In contrast to the decline of 2.2 per cent in the road logistics business field, the air & sea logistics business field saw growth of 5.2 per cent. The business field benefited from having airfreight charter capacity of its own as well as from high freight rates for intercontinental transport. At the Group level, the number of shipments dropped by 2.5 per cent to 78.6 million, while tonnage fell by 2.9 per cent to 39.8 million metric tonnes. “We have delivered on our promise to be a rock of stability during the coronavirus crisis,” says, Burkhard Eling, CEO, Dachser. The compny kept its customers’ global supply chains running without interruption and came up with flexible solutions to capacity bottlenecks, particularly on intercontinental freight services. At the same time, the company provided the best possible protection for its employees’ health and supported its longstanding service partners in Europe. “Following a solid first quarter, the lockdowns in many European countries meant sometimes drastic declines in overland transport shipments,” says Eling. He adds, “There was a clear improvement by June, however, with volumes remaining more or less consistently above 2019 levels. Our business model has proved that it can withstand crises, at the same time boasting strong growth potential and adaptability.” Revenue at the air & sea logistics business field benefited from the shortages in air and sea freight capacity, and the corresponding rise in freight rates, throughout 2020. Buoyed by its activities in Asia, the business field upped its revenue by 5.2 per cent to a total of EUR 1.2 billion. …

March exports showed a whopping double digit growth of almost 60.50 percent clocking US$ 34.45 billion compared to March 2020. Reacting to March 2021 export figures, Sharad Kumar Saraf, President, FIEO, said that the monthly exports showed a whopping double digit growth of almost 60.50 percent clocking US$ 34.45 billion compared to March 2020, showing not only impressive signs of further revival for the sector but for the overall economy as well. This has been mainly on account of 28 out of 30 major product groups of exports showing either a very impressive high positive growth starting with triple digit and almost all ending with a very high double digit growth defying all the odds during these difficult times. FIEO President added that the exports of other cereals, oil meals, iron ore, jute mfg. including floor covering, carpet, electronic goods, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, cereal preparations and miscellaneous processed item, rice, spices, cotton yarn/fabrics/made-ups, handloom products etc., meat, dairy and poultry products, ceramic products and glassware, drugs and pharmaceuticals, organic and inorganic chemicals, plastic and linoleum, handicrafts excl. Hand-made carpet, Marine products, Man-made yarn/fabrics/made-ups etc., Mica, coal and other ores, minerals including process, Petroleum products, RMG of All Textiles, Coffee, Fruits and vegetables, Leather and leather manufactures, Tobacco, and Tea were the sectors, which contributed towards showing such a whopping performance by the exports sector during the month. Such a whopping growth in exports during the month also helped in taking the merchandise exports to over USD 290 billion for FY 2020-21 during such difficult and torrid times, which was well forecasted by FIEO said Saraf. FIEO Chief also reiterated that the support and help provided by the Government …

The Centre is looking to develop Bhavnagar in Gujarat as a container hub and has set up pilot projects for its manufacturing, informs Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister. The initiative aimed at attaining self-reliance in container production eyes Rs 1,000 crore investment from private players and looks to create one lakh jobs. The move assumes significance amid reports of global shortages of containers with Indian containerised trade taking a hit owing to the staggered supply and demand shocks across geographies as per logistic majors. “India requires about 3.5 lakh containers every year. There is no container production in India and we have to depend mainly on China which is a global producer. Now we want to develop Bhavnagar in Gujarat as a container hub and we have selected 10 places there for its production on a pilot basis,” Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told PTI. The pilot project has been successful, he said. Mandaviya said the Ministry of shipping during the last six months has taken several initiatives to encourage container production at Bhavnagar with the help of re-rolling and furnace makers who are being encouraged to diversify in the space. We expect private players to invest about Rs 1,000 crore in this space. We also expect creation of one lakh local jobs. The intiative has been taken to realise the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, he said. “We have formed a committee to look into the finer details like standardisation, certification etc. The committee comprises experts from Ministry of Shipping, IRS (Indian Register of Shipping), IITs etc,” Mandaviya said. Mandaviya said in days to come, India will start production which will be consumed by …

According to ports’ apex body IPA, “India’s 12 major ports has witnessed a 4.59 per cent fall in cargo handling to 672.60 million tonnes (MT) in the financial year 2021. These ports had handled 705 MT, 699 MT and 679 MT cargo in 2019-20, 2018-19 and 2017-18, respectively.” Recently, Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India, said that the cargo traffic at 12 major ports declined considerably March onwards due to the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”Percentage variation from previous year” in “traffic handled at major ports during April to March 2021 vis-a-vis April to March 2020” declined 4.59 per cent, the IPA said in its latest report. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, sharp declines were witnessed in the handling of containers, coal and POL (petroleum, oil and lubricant), among other commodities. The percentage variation from the previous year was recorded at 4.59 per cent. All ports, barring Paradip and Mormugao (which recorded 1.65 per cent and 37.06 per cent increase in cargo handling to 114.54 MT and 21.95 MT, respectively), saw negative growth. Cargo handling at Kamrajar Port (Ennore) dipped 18.46 per cent during April-March 2021 to 25.88 MT, while ports like Mumbai and V. O. Chidambaranar saw their cargo volumes dropping by over 10 per cent during the said period. Cochin, New Mangalore and Chennai ports suffered a sharp decline of about 7 per cent. JNPT saw a decline of 5.32 per cent in cargo volumes, while Deendayal Port Trust and Kolkata ports logged an over 4 per cent drop in cargo volume. Cargo handling at Visakhapatnam slipped 3.96 per cent. India has 12 major ports under the control …

Bringing the Group a step closer toward carbon neutrality, CMA CGM has launched the low-carbon shipping solution. Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO, CMA CGM Group has put forward solutions that are immediately available and that contribute to achieving the Group’s objective of being carbon-neutral by 2050. The CMA CGM Group has reached another milestone in its efforts to be carbon-neutral by 2050, by supporting the production of 12,000 tonnes of biomethane (equivalent to a year’s fuel consumption of two 1,400-TEU ships). Biomethane is a renewable green gas produced in part by the methanation of European-sourced organic and plant waste. This energy source represents a fine example of how the circular economy can work while benefitin g the agricultural sector. CMA CGM intends to push ahead with the development of this energy source by investing in biomethane production facilities and studying the viability of liquefaction processes so that biomethane can be rolled out as a shipping fuel. By supporting biomethane production, CMA CGM is accelerating its commitment to leading the energy transition in the shipping sector. The Group cut its overall CO2 emissions by four per cent in 2020, following a six per cent reduction in 2019. Since 2008, the Group has lowered its CO2 emissions per container-kilometer by 49 per cent. 12,000 tonnes of guarantee-of-origin (GO) biomethane is enough to fuel the equivalent of two 1,400-TEU LNG-powered ships operating on the Northern European Balt3 line between St Petersburg and Rotterdam for a whole year. Guarantee-of-Origin Biomethane, coupled with CMA CGM’s dual-fuel gas-power technology, can reduce well-to-wake (entire value chain) greenhouse gas emissions (including CO2) by at least 67 per cent. On a tank-to-wake basis (at ship level), the reduction in …

MMC Corportation Berhad (MMC) has embarked on a major digital transformation of five ports, in partnership with global software solutions leader, Ramco System. The digital transformation will consolidate and standardise processes of MMC’s ports, which include Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas Sdn Bhd (PTP), Johor Port Berhad, Northport (Malaysia) Bhd, Penang Port Sdn Bhd and Tanjung Bruas Port Sdn Bhd. The group-wide transformation was awarded based on the successful implementation of Ramco integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system at one of Malaysia’s most advanced container terminal – PTP. This technological transformation programme will propel Malaysia to the forefront of global best-in-class ports – which plays a crucial role in mitigating supply chain challenges, including recent disruptions due to COVID-19. Building on an earlier implementation by Ramco Systems of an ERP system for PTP where about 90 per cent of the system has achieved Go-Live in phases over the past 10 months, the enhanced rollout will digitalise processes, while providing real-time business information. MMC will also be able to consolidate various business support functions (namely Finance, Human Resource, Enterprise Asset Management, Supply Chain Management, and Logistics Management) across ports into a single integrated ERP system – all accessible on an integrated dashboard. Over 8,000 MMC employees across the ports will be plugged into the platform on their computers/mobile devices which now eliminates duplication errors and other bottlenecks, allowing efficient business processes and enhanced data visibility. The system will also include smart features such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), which will provide employees with greater insight as well as predictive alerts and chatbots which can reduce human error and save time. This will lay the foundation for MMC’s broader strategy to enhance …

DP World operated Mundra International Container Terminal (MICT) has set yet another record for being the first container terminal in Gujarat to successfully handle more than 13 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), and 10 mn Containers, since its inception. This milestone comes with the terminal achieving its all-time highest monthly throughput of 123,611 TEUs by handling 70 vessels in March 2021. MICT has registered a remarkable 60 per cent year-on-year growth on Origin Destination (OD) volumes over March 2020, surpassing overall India’s OD growth of 29.8 per cent for the same period. MICT is the first terminal at Mundra, the largest Port on western coast of India. From handling 20,000 TEUs in its first year of operations in 2003, the terminal has emerged as the gateway for the North and the North West regions of the country while pioneering the container revolution in the Kutch Region. MICT has achieved this breakthrough by handling more than 10,000 container vessels while serving international trade routes and contributing to the growth of India’s container trade and economic development. MICT continues to excel in areas of operations efficiency and deploying best-in-class infrastructure and technology, thereby, putting MICT in the top quartile of the best performing container terminals globally. The terminal’s proximity to North India market and excellent rail connectivity to the key ICDs and hinterland has made Mundra a strong first choice for Exporters and Importers. In the last quarter of 2020, MICT added two new mainline services to the Far East, providing direct and cost-effective connections. The terminal offers six mainline vessels and a vast network of feeder services which provide customers with faster and reliable connections to global markets. Capt. Sujeet Singh, …