Category Archives: Shipping

Adopting the latest technology with respect to security of infrastructure and other assets, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd., (GRSE), a Mini Ratna Category 1 Defence PSU and a leading warship building company has commenced today an Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled high end CCTV network across its five units in Kolkata at a cost of Rs 12.95 Crore. The state-of-the-art technology will enable surveillance of 152.81 acre area of the shipyard to ensure 24×7 safety and security of all its premises. The AI enabled system will also prove to be a valuable tool during any investigation, detecting unauthorized intrusion or trespassing. The AI enabled CCTV system was set into operation at the Main Control room, GRSE Main Unit in the august presence of Rear Admiral VK Saxena, IN (Retd), Chairman & Managing Director, GRSE, Shri George Kuruvilla, CMD, BECIL, Cmde Sanjeev Nayyar, IN (Retd.), Director (Shipbuilding) and Shri. R.K. Dash, Director (Finance) and senior officials of GRSE and BECIL.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India’s premier container port in a major technological push and with a vision to enhance the port’s efficacy, inaugurated 2 Mobile X-ray Scanners at NSICT & APMT. The mobile scanners were inaugurated by Sanjay Sethi, IAS, Chairman, JNPT, and Pr. Commissioner of Customs, U. Niranjan, JNCH, in the presence of the stakeholders and Trade representatives. Three Mobile Container Scanners one each for the three Terminals of JNPORT viz. JNPCT, DPWorld and APMT were procured through IPA and installed by Port at the total project cost of 101 Crores. Out of these three scanners, one Scanner was rolled out for operation on 30.03.2021. In addition to this, Port is also installing one Drive through Container Scanner for BMCTPL at the total cost of Rs. 46.25 Crores. Presently 75% work for this project is completed and same is expected to be operational by March, 2022.

Shippers hoping for some pricing respite from ocean carriers have been battered this week by further records falling. Drewry’s World Container Index, published yesterday, saw its steepest climb since its inception in 2012. Drewry’s composite World Container index rose a further 15.9% or $1,104 to reach $8,061.65 per feu, which is 332% higher than the same week in 2020. Rates from Shanghai to Los Angeles increased by more than a third in the space of week, from $6,358 per feu last week to $8,548 this week. Rates from Asia to US east coast also soared 39% to $11,180 per feu. “Drewry expects rates to remain on the higher side in the coming week,” the UK analysts stated yesterday.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), in its FY21 annual report, has revealed its plans to continue growing its cargo operations with a special focus on logistical services in an effort to emerge as the preferred logistics partner for exporters and businesses. As per the report, the company currently enjoys a 25% share of India’s Exim cargo and aims to almost double it to 40% in the next 4 years. “We intend to retain our position by achieving 500 million tonne cargo throughput by 2025 and will lead to enhancing our market share of the Indian market to 40%,” said the company. In FY21, APSEZ also showcased a growth of 11% from last year in terms of cargo handling volume, taking it to 247 million tonnes. This was against a 5 percent decline registered by all Indian ports. With a clear focus to take the company’s return on capital employed (ROCE) to over 20 percent by 2025, as per the annual report, the Gautam Adani-led company reported a ROCE of 12 percent in FY21. “Our maturing ports and newly acquired ports are growing in tandem as twin growth engines in enhancing free cash generation,” said the company.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways had presented the draft Indian Ports Bill, 2021 which aims at abolishing the Indian Ports Act, 1908 and substituting it with a more relevant and contemporary act addressing present and future needs.The draft Indian Ports Bill, 2021 seeks to bolster structured growth and sustainable development of ports to garner enhanced investments in the port sector. It also seeks to optimise utilisation of the Indian coastline by effective administration and management of ports. Moreover, introduction of this statutory bill will help produce a refined and comprehensive regulatory blueprint for new ports and management of existing ones. If realised, these measures will further boost the investment prospects in Indian maritime and ports sector. The bill seeks to create a conducive environment for continued growth and sustained development of ports sector in India through the following methods: *Constitution of Maritime Port Regulatory Authority *Formulation of National Port Policy and National Port plan *Formulation of specialised Adjudicatory Tribunals namely Maritime Ports Tribunal and Maritime Ports Appellate Tribunal.

The Defence Ministry has signed a contract with Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) for the construction of two pollution control vessels for the Indian Coast Guard at a cost of about Rs 583 crore, officials said. The ships are being procured to significantly augment the capability of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) to respond to incidents of oil spills at the sea and also boost the force’s pollution response mechanism. These two vessels are scheduled for delivery by November 2024 and May 2025 respectively. The defence ministry said the “special role ships” will be indigenously designed, developed and built by GSL.“The acquisition will significantly augment the capability of ICG to respond to oil spill disasters at sea,” it said.

The Union Cabinet on June 16, 2021, approved the Inland Vessel Bill 2021 that will streamline and regulate inland vessels running in the country, said Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The Inland Vessels Bill 2021 will replace Inland Vessels Act, 1917. During a press conference, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that the Inland Vessel Bill, 2021 will promote economical and safe transportation as well as trade through inland waterways. The Bill will make provisions for safe navigation, protection of cargo, and prevent pollution caused during the use of inland vessels, he added. The Inland Water Transport (IWT) in the country is a fuel-efficient and environment-friendly mode of moving around 55 million tonnes of cargo. However, the IWT in India is highly underutilized as compared to developed countries.

The global Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of refrigerated container logistics to keep vital supplies of food and medicines, including vaccines, flowing around the world as nations locked down. While temperature-controlled goods have indeed kept flowing, the pandemic triggered an ongoing cascade of disruptions to the bigger container shipping system that so many perishable producers, exporters, importers and supply chains now rely on. That includes delayed, diverted and rolled shipments, port congestion, landside logjams and shortages and displacement of empty reefer containers due to a clogged global maritime transport pipeline. Real-time visibility and remote control are key drivers for today’s accelerated digitalisation in reefer container operations and the broader cold chain, not only because of the huge global vaccine distribution challenge but perhaps even more so to manage supply chain delays and disruptions impacting cross-border flows of food and other perishables.

The Chennai Port is facing a 25 per cent shortage of containers due to supply and demand gap sparking concern among exporters who now have to pay double rates to send consignments as the pandemic has triggered a worldwide shipping crisis. Regional chairman of Federation of Indian Exporters Organisation Israr Ahmed told Express that the cost of sending a 40-feet container to the United States before Covid was $2,000. “Last year, it rose to $4,500 and now it is priced between $6,200 and $6500. Similarly, for Europe the cost was $1,100 to $1,200 earlier, and it has gone up to 5,500. The price hike is attributed to Covid that has left the global shipping lines with backlogs and delays due to labour shortage, reduced capacity of logistics systems, congestion at ports as well as quarantined cargo,” he added.

Global logistics company DP World welcomes a new weekly India South Gulf (ISG) Service at its Port Terminals in Chennai and Cochin. The new service is jointly operated by a global shipping line – Evergreen Line, and feeder operators – Feedertech and Express Feeders. The New weekly Service will directly connect DP World operated Chennai Container Terminal (CCT) and International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Cochin with the Middle East Region. The service commenced with the call of vessel “MV EVER CHANT” operated by Evergreen Line on 2nd June 2021 at DP World Port Terminal Chennai and on 8th June 2021 at DP World Port Terminal Cochin. “MV Hansa Rotenburg” operated by Feedertech was the 2nd vessel deployed on this service which called CCT on 14th June 2021. The service Port rotation is Chennai – Colombo – Cochin – Jebel Ali – Cochin – Colombo – Chennai.