Category Archives: Shipping

.Cargo Talk in it’s conclave discussed at length the complexities involving the supply-chain sector. Various issues were addressed such as port congestion, enabling latest technologies to overcome the hurdles in the supply-chain. Renowned panelists of the field brainstormed over the difficulties and finding solutions to it. The panelists included, Samit Datta, Head, Global Supply Chain, IT, Digital Transformation & Operational Excellence, Piramal Glass Ltd., V.Raju, Senior Vice President- CL- Chemical, Pharma & Food Sector, AwashyaCCI 3PL Logistics Company and Huseni Vohra, Director, Business Development, APAC, project 44.

NICDC Logistics Data Services (NLDS), a joint venture between the Government of India, represented by the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust, and NEC Corporation, a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies, today announced extension of its Logistics Data Bank (LDB) services at 9 major Special Economic Zones (SEZ) across India to improve last mile container visibility. Major SEZs include Visakhapatnam, SEEPZ Mumbai, Surat, MEPZ Chennai, Cochin, Kandla, Noida, Mangalore and Dahez SEZ. Commenting on the occasion, Ichiro Oshima, CEO, NLDS said, “The need for more accurate end-to-end container visibility was apparent when exporters and importers experienced significant delays in container movement. With end-to-end container tracking, users can now easily identify the bottlenecks and ease their operations. Last mile container visibility stands in-line with NLDS’ objective of improving the export and import (EXIM) trade and reducing the logistics cost.”

On 14.05.2021, V.O. Chidambaranar Port created a new record for handling a coal vessel with highest parcel size. The Panama flagged vessel ‘MV BASTIONS’ arrived from the Port of Muara Berau, Indonesia, with 92,935 Tonnes of Coal consigned for Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Ltd., bettering the previous handling of highest parcel size for vessel ‘MV Star Sirius’, with 92,028 Tonnes of Coal handled at the Port on 11.04.2021. The import of coal through VOC Port has also shown upward trend during this financial year 2020-21. The Port has handled 11.81 Lakhs Tonnes of Coal, as against 11.05 Lakhs Tonnes handled during 2019-20, registering a growth of 6.88%. “Despite subdued global trade, contraction in domestic Industrial activity due to lockdown, it is important that Ports operate as efficiently as possible to cleanse off the negative economic impact of the Pandemic. Cargo handling through VOC Port has started to pick up pace and the Port has seen traffic growth of 42% in April 2021, when compared to the cargo traffic handled in April 2020. On the occasion of achievement of this significant milestone, I would like to recognize the hard work and commitment of Ship Agents, Stevedores, Harbour Mobile Crane Operator, Officers and Staff of V.O. Chidambaranar Port.” said T.K. Ramachandran, IAS, Chairman, V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust.

JNPT has taken various mitigating measures, in view of the ‘Cyclone Tauktae’. JNPT is likely to experience heavy weather and sustained high wind speeds due to which various steps are being taken to mitigate the impact of the cyclone on the port property and ships in JNPT waters. The port has planned to sail out all the vessels at berth by 2300 hrs on 15th May, 21. Also all inward Shipping movements will remain suspended till easing of weather conditions. During the meeting it was also decide that all crafts of ITDC Cementation and those engaged in the construction activities of MTHL phase 2 are advised to secure alongside; ships anchored in Bravo East / West outer anchorage are advised to take all necessary steps for their safety which includes steaming out to High seas; ONGC Nhava Base to ensure that the M.T. Blossom and OSVs at berth are ready to sail out by 2300 hrs on 15/5/21 and all Terminals were advised to secure their Cargo handling gear and other related equipment and comply with the heavy weather contingency plan. During the meeting it has been conveyed that all cranes at all the terminals will be secured by tie-down anchors and passenger launch services from JNPT to Mumbai will remain suspended till further notice.

India’s shipping ports are struggling amid a manpower shortage and reduced working arising from varied stages of pandemic-related lockdowns across different states. Strict health protocols adopted – requiring negative COVID-19 test results for all port personnel and crew of vessels unloading cargoes – are causing operational delays. “The movement of goods within the country is delayed due to different lockdown rules in different states,” an executive at Atlantic Shipping Pvt Ltd (ASPL) told ICIS. ASPL is one of the largest marine service providers in India, with operations at all the country’s ports. “This slows down the entire operation as cargo containers have to return to port after transferring the goods,” the executive said. In many cases, cargoes are unloaded first while the crew waits on board the ship until they tested negative of COVID-19 infection before they are permitted to come on land, he added. India has so far resisted calls for a nationwide lockdown this year, but restrictions are in place across 28 states and eight centrally administered regions in the country. Port operations fall into the category of essential services and must continue despite growing restrictions.

Ambuja Cement has successfully completed sea trials of using soya extract-based biofuel in two of its cement carriers — Ambuja Mukund and Ambuja Vaibhav. Switching to bio-diesel will reduce CO2 emissions from shipping lines by 25 per cent, which in turn will strengthen India’s ability to deliver on its commitment made under the Paris Accord. This makes Ambuja Cement not just the first Indian company to move towards the decarbonisation of the country’s coastal shipping lines but also advancing its focus on two of its strategic priorities: innovation and sustainability. “Our efforts in introducing green fuel in our ships will significantly contribute towards the reduction of GHG emissions that will help achieve our parent LafargeHolcim’s sustainability vision of net zero pledge 2030,” said Neeraj Akhoury, CEO India for LafargeHolcim and Managing Director & CEO of Ambuja Cements Ltd.

India’s largest Container Port, Jawahrlal Nehru Port Trust handled four medical-grade oxygen filled cryogenic containers with total quantity of 80 MT. Each cryogenic container carried 20 MT of Liquid Medical grade Oxygen. These medical grade oxygen containers were loaded in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates and reached India. Indian Navy’s INS Kolkata reached New Mangalore Port today carrying 40 MT of oxygen from Kuwait. The cargo also comprised of 5 tons of oxygen cylinders and 4 high flow oxygen concentrators. It may be noted that Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has directed all Major Ports of India, including the Kamarajar Port Limited, to waive-off all charges levied by Major Port Trusts (including vessel related charges, storage charges etc.) and accord highest priority in the berthing sequence to the vessels carrying oxygen related consignments.

Exports affected as ‘thousands of damaged containers unusable’; gas key to welding process in repairs. The curbs placed on industrial use of oxygen by the Centre to augment availability of medical grade oxygen for hospitals to save lives of critically ill COVID-19 patients, is impacting exporters by exacerbating a shortage of containers. Thousands of damaged containers, which arrived with import consignments on shipping lines, have not been repaired due to lack of oxygen and are hence not available for exporters, said industry executives. “Since mid-January, the situation in container movement was easing, following government intervention. But the second wave of the pandemic and shortage of industrial oxygen supply has aggravated the issue of container shortage,” said Sanjay Bhatia, co-founder & CEO, Freightwalla, a digital freight-forwarding company. “Oxygen is essential for repairs and welding of damaged containers; due to the prohibition it cannot be availed of. It has now become a big issue. There are thousands of empty containers lying unrepaired. This has further added to the crisis for exporters,” he said, adding the problem started from the third week of April.

Adani Group has secured medical oxygen and transportable cryogenic containers as well as augment health infrastructure. The Adani Group has already procured 48 cryogenic tanks capable of carrying 780 tonnes of liquid oxygen across the nation, a group spokesperson said. The Adani Group is ramping up its efforts in India’s battle against the pandemic. “As soon as the second COVID wave hit India, the Adani Group began leveraging its overseas connections to procure hard-to-find supplies of critical essentials like medical oxygen and transportable cryogenic containers,” the spokesperson said. It procured 48 cryogenic tanks from leading manufacturers in countries like Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and UAE. While some of these large cryogenic tanks were shipped in through the group’s Mundra Port in Gujarat, others were airlifted into the country with the help of the Indian Air Force, which deployed its biggest transport aircraft for these time-critical operations. These cryogenic tanks are a vital addition to the hardware India sorely needed to manage the medical oxygen requirements of patients across the country.

Owing to the healthcare emergency in the country, industrial usage of oxygen has been completely prohibited. Oxygen is an essential component for the repair and welding of damaged containers and due to the prohibition it cannot be availed for repairing damaged containers. There are thousands of empty import containers lying un-repaired. This has further added to the crisis of container shortage among the EXIM fraternity.The repair of containers has also got impacted due to a shortage of labours to handle the repair work. It has affected the movement of essential products, including daily needs and medical supplies. Along with oxygen, the major setback on the freight delays could be seen differently in different commodities.Also, the dwelling time for containers has almost doubled due to the rise of second wave globally. Earlier an average container dwelling time at the port for clearance ranged between 25-30 days but today with the second wave resulting in shortage in labourers, drivers, lack of space on vessels etc. has resulted in significant rise in the dwelling time which has go up to 45-50 days