Category Archives: Shipping

The government has asked all the shipping companies not to collect any detention charges on export-import cargo in the wake of the situation arising due to coronavirus outbreak. Delays were reported in evacuation of goods from ports due to disturbance in the downstream services. “In order to maintain proper supply lines at the Indian seaports, the shipping lines are advised not to impose any container detainment charge on import and export shipments for the period from March 22, 2020 to April 14, 2020 (both days inclusive),” says the advisory issued by Directorate General of Shipping. During this period, shipping lines are also advised not to impose any new or additional charges, it said adding the decision is purely a one-time measure to deal with the present disruptions caused by spread of COVID-19. “Government is taking all-round actions to fight against COVIDー19 and its negative impacts on the economy,” says Mansukh Lal Mandaviya, Union Minister of State for Shipping, Government of India.

Maersk has announced the Inland Container Depot (ICD) Madurai as a new acceptance point to help the trade in the hinterland of Tamil Nadu. Equipped with a warehouse to support faster cargo clearance, the ICD will help reduce the overall logistics costs by up to 30 per cent, while also providing operational transparency to customers. Spread over a total area of about 70 acres, the state-of-art ICD is one of the largest in the country and will serve as a major infrastructural hub for South India. Steve Felder, Managing Director, Maersk South Asia, said “Our operations at ICD Madurai are aimed at reducing logistics costs for our customers by cutting the cargo transport journey by up to 150 km. We are also tapping into the hinterlands’ potential by opening up new trade possibilities and enabling ease of doing business for the trading community in the region.”

Maersk has started end-to-end cold chain logistics solution for exporters shipping grapes from Nashik and Sangli to North Europe. With this service, Maersk offers end-to-end cold chain logistics solution for grapes’ exporters from Nashik and Sangli thus improving the overall turnaround time into North Europe by four days. Steve Felder, Managing Director – South Asia, Maersk, said “Nashik is a priority market for the exports of grapes from India. With our end-to-end cold chain solutions, we aim to enable the exporters to take their grapes from Nashik to North Europe with a fast turn-around time, and with more simplicity.”

A 24×7 customs clearance facility will be available at all seaports and airports till May 2020, to facilitate faster clearance of consignments to and from China once coronavirus diminishes. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has written to all Chief Commissioners (Customs and Central Tax) asking them to immediately workout the arrangement and deployment of sufficient number of officers on 24×7 basis at sea ports, air cargo stations, Inland Container Depot (ICDs) and Container Freight Station (CFSs), etc falling in their jurisdiction to tackle any incipient instance of congestion/surge.

The Port of Antwerp and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the JNPT-Antwerp Port Training & Consultancy Foundation as the ‘Port & Logistics Training Centre of Excellence’. This will enable the Centre to offer industry relevant courses with practical implications in the future. The MoU was signed by Sanjay Sethi, IAS, Chairman, JNPT, and Kristof Waterschoot, Managing Director, APEC. The first course on ‘Handling of Dangerous Goods’ was conducted at the Centre last week by Kurt Van Passen, an expert of the Port of Antwerp, together with Babette Desfossez, Belgium Customs Attaché. The facility will now be a Centre of Excellence for the maritime sector in India, for Indian and international port and logistics professionals, it was highlighted. Sethi stressed that the JNPT-APEC Training Centre has been hugely beneficial and that the Centre of Excellence will be enhanced in scale and scope to play a nodal role for all kinds of training and intellectual exchange, with a wide range of programmes. The Centre has the potential to become a very significant institution which all stakeholders can become part of, he added.

As per the nomenclature changed in Customs Brokers Licensing Regulations – 2013, Ahmedabad Custom House Agents’ Association (ACHAA) will now be known as Ahmedabad Custom Brokers’ Association (ACBA). The new name and registration have been also granted under the Societies Registration Act, 1660 and under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950. The announcement of new name has been made by Devang Joshi – the then President ACHAA, during the Annual General Meeting of the association. Parag Baraiya, the then Hon. Secretary, ACHAA, announced the first new managing committee formed under ACBA as: Samir Shah, Chairman Kartik Pancholi, President Devendra Thakker, Vice President Darshan Mashroo, Hon. Secretary Chinmay Kothari, Hon. Jt. Secretary Viral Zaveri, Treasurer Rakesh Oza, Managing Committee Member The new managing committee has taken the charge of association immediately after the AGM and the first meeting of ACBA.

APM Terminals Pipavav has begun operation of ‘drive-through container scanner’. The scanning system adheres to the guidelines issued by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and specifications issued by Directorate of Logistics (DOL). The new drive through container scanning facility is an important trade facilitation measure which besides improving the maritime safety and security would help enhance the overall efficiency and integrity of the logistics chain. The Eagle P60 scanning machine will reduce the dwell time, improve productivity, facilitate faster turnaround of the consignment thereby reducing the transaction cost and enhancing the overall Port’s performance.

Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) is likely to start coastal shipping services in the country’s eastern coast, linking Chennai Port with Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka. The eastern coast service will be run with two ships hired by Vishwa Samudra from the market. The 10-year contract deploys two coastal ships capable of carrying as much as 700 twenty-foot equivalent units with maximum gross weight of 21,000 tonnes (cargo plus container weight). The company had picked Vishwa Samudra to launch the Western coast service last year through a tender, seeking to benefit from the impetus given by the government to the waterway mode to decongest road and rail. Bangladesh’s booming economy has earned it the status as the fastest-growing economy in the Eastern hemisphere. The country’s GDP grew by 8.1 per cent in 2019 and is forecast to expand by 8 per cent this year also, according to the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) has announced the opening of coastal movement of ‘Naphtha’, produced by ONGC. The port regularly handles various petroleum products including LPG, high speed diesel, motor spirit, naphtha, crude oil through BPCL liquid cargo jetty. ONGC is using JNPT for movement of their crude oil produced in Bombay High (MR Crude) to coastal refineries and export of their Naphtha produced at ONGC Uran plant to their overseas buyers. Senior officials of JNPT, ONGC, BPCL & OPAL, graced the occasion. ONGC have made agreement with ONGC Petro additions (OPAL), located in Dahej SEZ, Gujarat, to supply the Naphtha produced at ONGC Uran plant to OPAL through marine route.

  JSW Infrastructure has signed a Concession Agreement with New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) to develop and operate its first container terminal project at the port for 30 years. JSW Infrastructure is investing nearly Rs300 crore to develop the container terminal which will have a capacity of 400,000 TEUs. As part of the proposed investment, JSW Infrastructure will undertake mechanisation of Berth No 14 for handling containers and other cargo on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis. The container terminal will have a quay length of 350 meters and accommodate vessels up to 9000 TEUs. It will have a backup storage area of 15.5 hectares for storage of container. Commenting on the development Arun Maheshwari, Joint MD & CEO, JSW Infrastructure said, “Container terminal at NMPT will enable us to expand our footprints in container segment and diversify our cargo mix. We expect to commission the terminal by mid of next year. It will play a key role in economic development of NMPT and the entire region expanding upto Mysore, Hassan and Bengaluru.”