Category Archives: Shipping

The Ministry of Shipping is working on a plan to develop a National Grid for Ports based on synergy between the Major and non-major ports in the country that can bring port-led development in the country. Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister for Shipping and Chemical & Fertilizers, Government of India, said, “The development plan for ports and the National Grid for ports will be ready in six months. An extensive study in identifying the specific cargo linked to the ports and the downstream industry will be done for the revival of each port.” According to him, there are 204 non-major ports in the country, of which only 44 are currently functional.

DP World plans to make Container Multimodal Terminals (CMTL), its Hyderabad Private Freight Terminal (PFT), as a multi-modal distribution hub for South India cargo. The company has already established private freight terminals and rail-road linkages connecting the city with other trading hubs across the country. The global trade enabler will leverage its rail-road transport connectivity and warehouses. The announcement was made during the conference themed ‘India’s Logistics Sector on the Path of Transformation’ in Hyderabad. The company said Hyderabad will act as the catalyst to drive more trade in the state of Telangana. CMTL houses a Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) at Thimmapur (near Hyderabad in Telangana state) with proximity to National Highway 7. The MMLP is equipped with a railway siding and over 250,000 sq ft. of warehousing to cater to the needs of both domestic and EXIM trade.

The Prime Minister inaugurated the state-of-the-art terminal through a two -way digital communication system at an event in Ranchi, Jharkhand. This is the second of the three multi modal terminals being constructed on river Ganga under Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP). The new secretariat building in the state capital will come up at an estimated cost of Rs 1238.92 crore. The cargo terminal, which was inaugurated online by the prime minister from here, has been built by Inland Waterways Authority of India on River Ganga at Sahibganj. It will have a cargo storing capacity of 30 lakh tonne per year, a stockyard and parking and berthing space for two vessels. It will also have offices of 32 departments.

CMA CGM Logistics Park Dadri has started planning and running dedicated block train services, with all-export containers booked by its CFS, from ICD Dadri to Mundra in association with CONCOR Dadri. Capt. V. M. Bawa, CEO, CMA CGM Logistics Park Dadri, informs, “The services would be on regular/weekly basis and this initiative will benefit the export trade at ICD Dadri in offering direct train services to Mundra with average transit time of approx. 72 hours.” The first dedicated block train service, comprising 45 FEUs to Mundra, was flagged off on the night of September 2, 2019 from ICD Dadri by Capt. Bawa in the presence of CONCOR staff and the Station Superintendent of Dadri station. The second dedicated block train from ICD Dadri departed soon after, on September 4 for Mundra with another 45 FEUs booked by the CFS.

The Union Government is conducting a nationwide survey to identify delay points in the cargo movement. The survey is being conducted simultaneously across 15 ports — sea, air, land and dry — that account for 81 per cent of bills of entries for import and 67 per cent of shipping bills for export. From August 1-7, surveys were conducted for seaport and inland container depots and for air cargo, the survey is getting conducted in the first week of September. The exercise to identify bottlenecks and their removal is supposed to expedite the cargo movement and escalate the trade. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), under the Department of Revenue, is carrying out the survey. The nationwide survey will look at causes of delays in movement of consignment caused by regulatory constraints, logistical issues in supply chains, or lack of infrastructure.

Maersk partnered with BlackBuck to provide an online marketplace for containerised trucking in EXIM logistics in India. The Indian government has set ambitions to reduce logistics cost from 14 per cent of the GDP to less than 9 per cent by 2022. The new platform will be owned and operated by BlackBuck with Maersk supporting BlackBuck to develop compelling industry-specific solutions. The neutral platform will be open to the whole industry and will empower sustainable growth and efficiency by reducing touchpoints in the supply chain; thereby improving customer experience, matching demand-supply through the year and providing consistency in service delivery through real-time visibility and control.

To provide quick and efficient services to their customers, Transworld Group has launched WhatsApp service for their customers. The features include real-time push notifications of shipment journey and two-way communication—AI-enabled Chatbot—where the users can interact with bot and get real-time details on their mobile. Ritesh S. Ramakrishnan, Joint Managing Director, Transworld Group, highlights, “To serve our customers more efficiently, we have officially launched our WhatsApp for Business Services. We are focusing on a simple and reliable communication channel but at the same time quick, rich conversational customer experiences, which we are offering through WhatsApp and AI-based two-way communication—Chatbot. This will include an on-demand, real-time and personalised customer interaction for notifications related to booking, container release, shipment status right from pick-up to delivery, an end-to-end update on your shipment digitally and at any time.”

DP World has launched the ‘India-UAE Bridge’ to attract India trade and investments to its Jebel Ali Port and Jafza by offering end-to-end solutions to companies and entrepreneurs. The initiative is set to attract trade and investments for both Indian and the UAE, as DP World offers technology-driven end-to-end (e2e) smarter trade solutions to Indian trade fraternity. The India-UAE Bridge is strategically designed to facilitate trade integration capabilities of global trade enabler DP World’s portfolio of over 150 operations in over 40 countries across six continents. The e2e solutions delivered under the India-UAE Bridge will support investors through value propositions by leveraging assets and capabilities in both countries.

Maersk Line has completed its first successful shipment of mangoes from Nhava Sheva in Mumbai, to Felixstowe, London. Bombay Exports shipped 21 tonnes of Kesar and Badami mangoes within a period of three weeks through Maersk’s reefer containers that use advance Remote Container Management (RCM) technology. Controlled Atmosphere (CA) is one of the offerings which helps in extending the shelf life of perishable fruits and vegetables by slowing down their ripening process. With this innovative offering, perishable goods, which otherwise required airfreight solutions, can now be shipped. Steve Felder, Managing Director, Maersk South Asia, said, “With the difficulties in airfreight in the current scenario, approximately 200 metric tonnes of air exports of fruits and other perishables are being impacted every week, leading to a huge loss of produce. Furthermore, a strong demand for mangoes in European markets, provided us with a chance to leverage our superior technology in preserving refrigerated (reefer) cargo.

Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge) and Chemical & Fertilizers, digitally flagged-off a ship of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), carrying stone from Bhutan to be delivered in Bangladesh. Till now, Bhutan has been exporting significant quantity of stone aggregates to Bangladesh through the land route. The ship is carrying 1000 MT of stones – 70 trucks would be required to transport the same cargo by road. Mandaviya said, “The move will be beneficial to India as well as Bhutan and Bangladesh and strengthen relations between the neighbouring countries. He said transport of cargo through this route will cut short travel time by 8-10 days and reduce transportation cost by 30 per cent. It will also be a more environment friendly mode of transport.”