According to Indian Ports Association, India’s Major ports has recorded 12.43 per cent decline in cargo traffic during April to October period of current fiscal to 354.818 million tonnes (mt). In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, sharp declines were witnessed in handling of containers, coal and POL (petroleum, oil and lubricant) among other commodities. These ports handle about 61 per cent of the country’s total cargo traffic. They handled 705 MT of cargo last fiscal. Cargo volumes at these 12 major ports have declined for the seventh straight month in October 2020. During the April-October period of the last fiscal, these 12 major ports had handled 405.20 MT of cargo. The 12 major ports handled 354.81 MT of cargo between April and October this fiscal, according to the Indian Ports Association (IPA) which said that the “percentage variation against previous year traffic during April to October 2020 vis-a-vis April to October 2019” has been 12.43 per cent. Defying the broader trend, Mormugao saw an increase of 16.47 per cent in cargo handling to 10.17 MT during April-October period this year. Cargo handling at Kamarajar Port (Ennore) nosedived 30.56 per cent during April-October to 12.53 MT, while ports like Chennai, Cochin and Mumbai saw their cargo volumes drop about 20 per cent during the said period. JNPT and Kolkata ports suffered sharp declines of 18 per cent and 14 per cent respectively. Deendayal Port saw cargo volumes dip by 11.5 per cent, while VO Chidambarnar recorded a dip of 10.8 per cent and cargo handling at New Mangalore and Visakhapatnam dropped by over 5 per cent. Paradip Port recorded a decline of about 4 per cent. However, the recovery has …
Read More »JNPT records growth in container traffic by 11.24% in October over last month, handles LPG of 1,07,530 MT
JNPT handled 423,155 TEUs in October, registering a growth of 11.24% in October 2020 compared to previous month and growth of 5.10 per cent over the same month last year. Out of this, 52,087 TEUs were handled at JNPCT (3.37%), 64,254 TEUs at NSICT (+77.78%), 153,548 TEUs at APMT (-7.50%), 80,500 TEUs at NSIGT (-5.32%) and 72,766 TEUs at BMCT (+11.82%). The overall traffic handled was 5.73 million tons (MT) during October compared to 5.44 MT in October 2019, posting a growth of 5.37 per cent. The port handled a record number of 548 trains in October, beating the previous highest of 536 trains handled in May 2011. Commenting on this, Sanjay Sethi, IAS, Chairman, JNPT, says, “This was possible due to the conscientious and excellent team efforts of all stakeholders, terminals, Railways and train operator’s both CONCOR and private operators.” The port also achieved a new milestone by handling the highest LPG of 1,07,530.67 MT at JNPT-Liquid cargo terminal through seven vessels in October 2020 surpassing earlier record of 92,877 MT in August 2019. For the period of April-October 2020, JNPT handled 5,66,815 MT discharge of LPG which is 14.27% higher as compared to 4,96,052 MT handled in the same period LY. JNPT is giving priority and timely berthing to the LPG vessels for fulfilment of distribution of LPG, under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna. At the Liquid Cargo Terminal, JNPT is also handling essential commodities like high speed diesel, Motorspirit, Edible oil etc. LPG is transported through 13.5 KM cryogenic pipeline from ship (JNPT Berth) to LPG BPCL bottling plant at Uran. LPG is then distributed by rail/road /pipeline to Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Punjab, Delhi and …
Read More »Delta Cargo launches scheduled cargo-only flights between the United State, Europe & India
With an aim to meet customer demands, Delta Cargo has launched cargo-only flights between the United State, Europe and India. There are daily cargo-only flights between New York-JFK and Madrid that operate using a Boeing 767-400 aircraft providing customers with capacity to ship fashion goods to the United States ahead of the holiday season. In addition, there is a three times weekly cargo-only flight between New York-JFK and Dublin that is operated by an Airbus A330-300, as well as cargo-only flights operating between New York-JFK and Atlanta to Mumbai, via Frankfurt, using Airbus A330-200/300 aircraft. These aircraft are used to carry essential pharmaceuticals, vaccines, medical supplies and general cargo. “Given the travel constraints within Europe, we are strategically adding cargo capacity in Spain, Ireland and Germany to support overall passenger and cargo growth,” said Shawn Cole, Vice President – Cargo, Delta, in adding, “There is high demand for pharmaceutical shipments from India because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this cargo solution ensures we can keep vital supply chains moving to the United States.” Delta Cargo launched a cargo charter operation in March to provide safe and reliable transportation of goods around the globe by working primarily with Delta’s established world-leading logistics partners. Delta dispatched idled aircraft on cargo runs to transport millions of pounds of supplies quickly and safely. Delta has operated over 1,600 cargo charter flights since February and is now averaging more than 20 cargo-only flights globally each week, carrying medical and PPE equipment, pharmaceuticals, U.S. mail, home office supplies and food.
Read More »Hyderabad Airport signs MoU with TSRTC to commence Cargo Bus Feeder Service, boost export & imports from region
GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GHAC), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) to jointly promote International Export and Import Cargo through the launch of one-of-its-kind First Mile and Last Mile Cargo Bus Feeder Service (BFS) that would connect GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo Terminal to other parts of Telangana and neighbouring states. Saurabh Kumar, CEO, GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo and Sunil Sharma, Principal Secretary, TR&B and Managing Director, TSRTC signed the MoU in the presence of Puvvada Ajay Kumar, Minister of Transport, Government of Telangana. As per the MoU, TSRTC will start first-mile Pick-up and Delivery service to GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo Terminal. It will also provide the Last Mile Connectivity for International Import shipments landing at Hyderabad Airport for connections to hinterland areas in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. This partnership also envisages start of Reefer Cargo Bus Service that would provide reliable connectivity for Exports of Pharma and Perishable products through Hyderabad Airport. Speaking on this initiative, SGK Kishore, ED- South & CIO, GMR Airports, says, “This MoU between GMR Cargo and TSRTC is a strategic milestone towards developing a multi-modal air cargo corridor. Capitalising on the strong road connectivity in Telangana, excellent network of TSRTC along with the world-class facilities and global connectivity offered by GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo, the partnership will open up significant new business opportunities for all the stakeholders involved in International air cargo trade. This joint initiative will immensely improve value realization and boost the exports and imports from Hyderabad benefiting the Trade Community via a collaborative approach.” Puvvada Ajay Kumar, Minister for Transport, Government of Telangana, said, “This is a great beginning of …
Read More »CBIC issues revised policy and guidelines for setting up of ICDs, CFSs and AFSs
In a bid to meet the requirement of new paradigm and the aspiration of the trade, CBIC has issued revised policy and guidelines for setting up new Inland Container Depots (ICDs), Container Freight Stations (CFSs) and Air Freight Stations (AFSs). The new policy takes into account the present capacity, future growth potential and regional imbalances and also addresses the need for bringing uniformity, transparency and seamless approval process. It further addresses the identified regulatory and logistics concerns associated with the hard and soft infrastructures of ICDs/CFSs/AFSs in India. The new policy establishes a framework of functional requirements pertaining to the design and operation of dry ports as well as establishes certain processes to enable sustainable growth of the sector. Lastly, the new policy aims to lay down appropriate institutional, administrative and regulatory frameworks for development and smooth operation of ICDs/CFSs/AFSs, including procedures for regulatory inspection and the execution of applicable customs control and formalities.
Read More »FarEye rolls out enhancements to its contactless capabilities ahead of festive season
As per a recent report, the first week of the festive sale saw a 55 per cent y-o-y sales growth, with $4.1 billion worth of goods sold across e-commerce platforms, as compared to $2.7 billion last year. This 52 per cent increase makes the surge in online consumer demand quite evident. However, retailers need to be prepared to handle this surge. to handle the festive surge and enable retailers to meet the demand, FarEye has been working with leading retailers to roll out significant new features and enhancements to its platform. The platform will offer more flexibility to customers with self-service delivery slot booking, multiple payment options and deliveries at drop-off points. The platform will help retailers to offer quickly onboard new carriers to meet surge demand, achieve app-based onboarding and training of freelance drivers to fulfill orders. It will improve contactless delivery capabilities, including temperature tracking of drivers, integrations with national and international compliance apps and improve order-level visibility to customers through instant track & trace, messaging drivers, 1-click calling. The platform will also improve personalisation and customer lifetime value by showcasing more products based on customer behaviour and preferences and help in achieving comprehensive end-to-end visibility into the logistics operations and real-time customer feedback to take corrective action. “From the time we launched FarEye SERVE back in March to help retailers deliver essential goods; we have not just successfully helped retailers handle scalability challenges but also have made major breakthroughs in advanced contactless capabilities. These include driver temperature tracking, compliance apps integrations & more. Retailers can now focus on customer experience while they can worry less from scalability and orchestration woes, which the platform can handle for them,” …
Read More »Mahindra Logistics adds more than 7.5 lakh sq. ft. capacity in Hyderabad and Chennai
Mahindra Logistics (MLL) has added more than 7.5 lakh sq. ft area to its existing ‘Built-To-Suit’ warehousing capacity in Hyderabad and Chennai. The facilities are developed to sustainable standards and allow MLL to provide flexible and scalable fulfillment and integrated distribution solutions. Phase 1 of these sites is focussing on integrated solutions for e-commerce, consumer and engineering industries. In addition to this, with the anticipation of strong demand during the forthcoming festive season, MLL has set up nearly 10 lakh sq. ft. of flex warehousing solutions for supporting customers in anticipation of the upcoming festive season. A considerable size of this space is also catering to large Pharma companies during the pandemic. MLL is already gearing itself with a massive last-mile delivery roadmap to cater to the highly anticipated COVID vaccine for its pharma clients across India. Rampraveen Swaminathan, Managing Director and CEO, Mahindra Logistics, says, “Continuing our efforts in growing the non-Mahindra business, MLL continues to expand its warehousing capacity and is focused on tapping the huge potential in warehousing spaces across all regions. With the launch of these large spaces, we look forward to continued business growth from existing as well as potential customers from all regions. We have also deepened our focus by launching new solutions like returns processing, pop-up sort centers and integrated distribution services for our clients.” Mahindra Logistics has been steadfast in its efforts to be more inclusive. The company has actively employed differently abled persons and employees from the LGBTQ+ community, at its warehouses across the country. Similarly, MLL is bridging the gender diversity gap by hiring more women from various backgrounds and experience.
Read More »Raag Technologies and Services reports 32% Y-o-Y growth amid the pandemic
Witnessing a surge in deliveries across sectors, Raag Technologies & Services (RTS) has reported a 32% Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) growth in revenue in Q2 FY 2020-21. With its complete suite of services and solutions, the company has empowered large-scale manufacturers and distributors, enabling them to resolve the logistics challenges in the new normal. Commenting on the growth, Narasimhan Raghavan, Director, RTS, states, “We have seen remarkable growth in Q2 and continue to witness a strong growth largely driven by the rebound in the Automotive, Industrial, FMCG, and Energy & Infrastructure sectors. While in Q1, we saw apparent hiccups in terms of infrastructural challenges, non-availability of the fleet, and so on, most of the issues vanished beginning May.” “The use of technology and our expertise over the years has proven to be a cornerstone of our success. This not only supported our organic growth but as a result, we also saw a significant increase in new customers in the first half of this financial year,” he adds. The company has taken extensive precautionary measures and has ensured the most stringent health protocols for the entire team to operate in the new normal. Consequently, RTS has successfully been able to support and manage business continuity for all its clients and has been able to deliver services to them in a seamless manner even during these challenging times. Over the last decade, RTS has successfully demonstrated service value and cost reduction to OEMs in Tier-1 and Tier-2 markets. It leverages home-built technology tools and best of breed external software to provide best-in-class logistic solutions to sectors such as Automotive, Industrial, FMCG, Energy & Infrastructure, etc. Early this year, Spoton Logistics, India’s engineering & technology-driven …
Read More »Air cargo recovery continues in September; demand on routes between Asia–North America & Asia–Africa were strongest: IATA
According to The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) September data for global air freight markets, the speed of recovery in air cargo has increased slightly, however, remains depressed compared to 2019 levels. Asia-Pacific airlines saw demand for international air cargo fall 14.6% in September 2020 compared to the same month a year earlier. This was an improvement from the 16.4% fall in August 2020. Demand on routes between Asia–North America and Asia–Africa were strongest. International capacity remained constrained in the region, down 32%, despite airlines adding more capacity on many routes. Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs*), was 8% below previous-year levels in September (-9.9% for international operations). That is an improvement from the 12.1% year-on-year drop recorded in August. Month-on-month demand grew by 3.7% in September. Global capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTKs), shrank by 25.2% in September (28% for international operations) compared to the previous year. That is nearly three times larger than the contraction in demand, indicating a severe lack of capacity in the market. Strong regional variations are emerging with North American and African carriers reporting year-on-year gains in demand (+1.5% and +9.7% respectively), while all other regions remained in negative territory compared to a year earlier. Improving performance is aligned with improvements in key economic indicators; • The new export orders component of the manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose above the 50-mark, indicating growth, for the first time since mid-2018; • The World Trade Organization revised their 2020 trade growth forecast from -12.9% to -9.2%; “Air cargo volumes are down on 2019, but they are a world apart from the extreme difficulties in the passenger business. For air cargo, 92% of the business …
Read More »Snowman Logistics announces to offer approx 7 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses across its multiple facilities
Snowman Logisticshas announced that the company is reserving average 500 pallets (approx. 35 lacs doses of vaccine) in every location and in some locations more than 500 pallets. In total, the company will be offering around 10000 pallets (approx. 7 crore doses of vaccine) space. The company can increase this availability, within short notice and can significantly expand capacity over a short period to meet evolving domestic and global demands. Snowman has also mapped other cold storage operators with whom the company can partner on a need basis. This can further help Snowman to create similar amount of space, if required. “Snowman is already managing vaccine distribution of Influenza/swine flu and Typhoid vaccines. This experience of ours will come handy while managing covid19 vaccine storage and distribution,” states Sunil Nair, CEO, Snowman Logistics, in adding, “We have worked out solutions for small volume locations where there are no cold storages (Small towns, Taluka, Village etc.), and how we can use refrigerated containers, reach in freezers, etc for the delivery. We also have mapped out, as our partners transport capacities and how we can use them in short notice. We can dedicate close to 200 trucks for this purpose, nationally” “The task is mammoth, as it is not just about vaccine, but associated ancillary kits (syringes, needles, alcohol swabs, etc.) should also be distributed concurrently. This will need robust distribution planning and involvement of multiple players.” Sunil added. The company runs 31 temperature-controlled warehousing facilities across 15 locations in the country, offering combined capacity of 108,375 pallets and has a fleet of about 300 refrigerated trucks that will further augment its vaccine delivery capability.
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