Category Archives: Shipping

MSC has announced a new direct service from India to West Africa, the MSC India Africa Service (IAS), effective from week 3, 2021 to enhance its services to customers shipping goods between India and Africa. The MSC IAS will provide a direct, fast and reliable service to our clients further demonstrating our commitment to the Indian trade, connecting Northwest and South India to West Africa, with a call at Colombo in Sri Lanka. On the way back, this new service will also connect South Africa directly with the Middle East, Pakistan and India. The rotation of India Africa Service will be as follows with the first sailing MP The Law, ETD Mundra on January 24, 2021: Mundra – Nhava Sheva – Colombo – Port Louis – Tema – Lome – Cotonou – Cape town – Durban – Jebel Ali – Abu Dhabi – Port Qasim – Mundra

Reacting to December 2020 export figures, Sharad Kumar Saraf, President, FIEO said that the monthly exports have moved towards positive territory as major export products show signs of further revival as expected. Marginal decline of just 0.8 per cent with US$ 26.89 billion of exports showing signs of revival as order booking position have continuously improved besides more new orders in the offing. He reiterated that the New Year 2021 has brought a ray of hope and optimism for all from the worst of Covid-19 and effective vaccines are expected to bring both life and economy back on growth trajectory with a v-shaped recovery in world trade. Arrival of vaccines have also helped in boosting the business sentiments for the sector as a whole, which can be further seen from the positive figures of the upcoming months said Saraf. FIEO President added that December exports also signals that our traditional and labour-intensive sectors of exports have passed the most challenging and testing times as both Christmas and New Year Season sales have shown positive trends with further improvement in coming months. Going ahead by this trend, we expect our inventories to be liquidated, adding further to the overall demand, observed Saraf. FIEO Chief said that the exports of other cereals along with oil meals, iron-ore, cereal preparations and miscellaneous processed items, jute mfg. including floor covering, handicrafts excl. hand-made carpet, carpet, ceramic products and glassware, drugs and pharmaceuticals, spices, electronic goods, fruits and vegetables, organic and inorganic chemicals, cotton yarn/fabrics/made-ups, handloom products etc., rice, meat, dairy and poultry products, gems and jewellery, mica, coal and other ores, minerals including process, tea and engineering goods showed either a very high or …

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the project Deepening and Optimization of Inner Harbour Facilities including Development of Western Dock on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode to handle cape size vessels at Paradip Port. The estimated cost of the project is Rs3,004.63 crore, which includes the development of the new Western Dock on BOT basis and capital dredging by the selected Concessionaire at a cost of Rs.2,040 Crore and Rs 352.13 crores respectively; and Paradip Port’s investment will be to the tune of Rs612.50 crore towards providing common supporting project infrastructure. The decision was taken in CCEA meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The proposed project envisages Construction of Western Dock Basin with facilities to handle cape size vessels by the selected BOT Concessionaire with an ultimate capacity of 25 MTPA (Million tonnes per annum) in two phases of 12.50 MTPA each. The Concession period shall be 30 years from the date of Award of Concession. Paradip Port Trust (Concessioning Authority) shall provide the Common Supporting Project Infrastructure works like breakwater extension and other ancillary works to facilitate handling of cape size vessels.

As per the ICRA report on Ports sector, cargo at Indian ports has turned positive for the first time after seven consecutive months in October and November 2020, recording a three per cent and one per cent Y-o-Y growth respectively. During March-September 2020, the Indian port sector has been adversely impacted due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown introduced by India and other major economies. Although, the sector was classified under essential services and remained operational post the initial period of lockdown, the adverse impact on the domestic economic activity as well as slowdown in global trade has resulted in steep contraction in cargo volumes at the Indian ports. While positive growth in the past two months is positive, for the 8M FY2021, cargo has reported a 12 per cent decline however, the same is significant improvement compared to the 22 per cent decline recorded in Q1 FY2021. The pace of decline has moderated sequentially every month for key cargo segments, indicating continuing signs of a recovery. Ankit Patel, Vice President and Co-Head, ICRA Ratings, mentions, “POL, coal and container segment have witnessed a contraction with ~13%, ~23% and ~12% Y-o-Y decline during 8M FY2021. However, there are definite signs of recovery given that in October-November these three segments recorded significantly better performance than previous months. The pace of recovery in the port sector will be contingent on the pace of recovery of the domestic industrial activity and the global economy. Further, factors like changes in the global supply chain pattern during the recovery phase will also have an impact on the cargo profile. Despite the expectation of a better H2FY2021, due to the significant under-performance in H1FY2021, …

Hyderabad-based Seaways Shipping and Logistics has entered into a pact with the MOL Logistics (India) for providing end-to-end supply chain and turnkey logistics services to customers across the country. The partnership will also enable the two companies to associate in prospective bids and project proposals with various clients in India and abroad. Seaway Group offers a complete range of logistics services across the globe while MOL Logistics (India) is a part of the Japan-based MOL logistics. “Both MOL Logistics and Seaways are well-established large players in this industry, and we are uniquely placed to leverage our individual strengths,” said P Vivek Anand, Director (Marketing), Seaways. Anand continues, “While Seaways has a strong understanding of the Indian business environment and enjoys the confidence of a large client base, MOL Logistics brings to the table its global network, long-standing clients and an enviable track record. We will now be able to offer our customers a wide range of shipping and logistics solutions that are more efficient and cost-effective across any part of the world.” The areas of collaboration cover all turnkey logistics activities including warehousing, customs clearance, container line (NVOCC), vessel agency, transportation/trucking, bulk cargo handling and supply chain management, among others, said the release. “India has tremendous potential for growth, and we are looking forward to this collaboration with Seaways Shipping. The MOL Logistics Group will meet a wide variety of customer needs by making full use of its global network and logistics know-how such as air and ocean transport, cross-border transport with neighbouring countries, domestic transportation, warehousing, customs clearance, moving services, and plant and project cargo transportation,” said Ryoji Yamamoto, Director of MOL Logistics (India).

Freightwalla has announced partnership with TradeLens; a blockchain enabled digital supply chain solution jointly developed by Maersk and IBM, to provide unparalleled visibility and connectivity for shipper’s international shipments. Improving transparency, traceability, and rapid response mechanism has been a significant concern for the shipping and logistics industry. With robust end-to-end connectivity of all stakeholders with the blockchain technology, the partnership will strengthen the overall supply chain transparency. The association will further fast-track the digitization revolution in the industry. Speaking on the occasion, Punit Java, Co-Founder & CTO, Freightwalla, says, “As a digital freight forwarder, our mission is to improve transparency and reduce costs for our partners and customers. Freightwalla getting on board the TradeLens platform will enable seamless connectivity between all stakeholders in the logistics ecosystem, including transporters, shipping lines, ports, and financial institutions. It will enable shippers to get full visibility into their shipments and reduce the overall cost of logistics.” The company has developed its own digital freight forwarding app for the EXIM fraternity and plans to link it with TradeLens, providing its customers unparalleled transparency and visibility while shipping internationally. Java, who also heads the development of Freightwalla’s digital freight forwarding platform, believes that TradeLens will help reduce the operational overheads and errors by enabling the automation of significant parts of the operational process. Bimal Kanal, Head – South Asia, TradeLens, mentions, “TradeLens is an industry-wide neutral platform aiming at digitalising supply chains and the logistics industries. We aim to bring as many stakeholders involved in the logistics sector as possible onto the platform and create an efficient, digital ecosystem that will drive benefits to one and all. Freightwalla’s moves towards digital transformation are helping shippers to …

In the wake of keen interest showed by the investors and investments worth several hundred billion rupees being in the pipeline, Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh has issued directions for further strengthening of the investor-friendly industrial ecosystem and for building a robust logistics infrastructure in the state. The state government has nominated Additional Chief Secretary (Infrastructure & Industrial Development) Alok Kumar as state nodal officer for developing the integrated state logistics plan aimed at overall development of logistics sector. Kumar will head a newly created state logistics cell to function in sync with national logistics division for development of supply chains and warehousing facilities for industries. The officials of state government departments like Planning, Transport, Civil Aviation, Revenue, PWD, Export Promotion Bureau, UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) will be the key members on board, and nodal officers from Central agencies like National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Airports Authority of India (AAI), Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), etc. will be special invitees to the cell. The state government will also set up a state logistics coordination committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary to monitor the progress and implementation of the logistics plan. Uttar Pradesh is attracting sizeable investments in warehousing & logistics sector, so far, total 6 proposals worth approximately Rs 438 Crores have been received in the sector.

Women International Shipping and Trading Association, India has successfully completed its eight constructive and successful years. The association for women in managerial roles in the maritime sector was launched in India in 2012 by Founder Members Sanjam Sahi Gupta and Sumi Sahi Dutt, Directors of Sitara Shipping. WISTA India has achieved many milestones by focusing on providing a platform for networking, sharing of knowledge, education through workshops/seminars and mentoring of young members to enhance their competence and empower their career success. To encourage and recognize its’ members’ achievements, WISTA India holds the ‘WISTA Personality of the Year Award’ each year. Over the years, WISTA has held events for its members that include visits to ports and container freight stations, opportunities to attend overseas conferences, seminars on current industry topics, and training programs for members’ professional development. Commenting on the 8th Anniversary, Summiit Cheema, President, WISTA India says, “We at WISTA, India have consistently kept member care as our ethos and post pandemic we feel the need to further strengthen this quality about the association. She also mentioned that bearing in mind the pandemic situation, WISTA, India had a lot of events and initiatives around wellness, be it physical fitness or mental health. She further added that “our founder member Sanjam Sahi Gupta delivered a very successful Maritime SheEO conference on “Diversity and Sustainability” on 23rd November 2020 that surpassed all barriers of geography, time zones and cultures”. WISTA is driven by the core values of Gender Diversity and Equality and looking ahead WISTA India with the support of Maritime SheEO plans on making this a reality. Founder Member and President Emeritus Sanjam has been a driving force for gender equality …

Responding to November 2020 export figures, Sharad Kumar Saraf, President, FIEO, says that the monthly exports have shown a single-digit negative growth of 8.74 per cent with US$ 23.52 billion due to supply side disruptions including restricted container movement and declining petroleum exports due to its crashing prices. Besides, farmers agitation in some of the hinterland states have also affected exports during the month. Exports have been seeing signs of revival as order booking position has continuously improved and more new orders are in the offing. Saraf reiterated that the forecast of the arrival of the Covid-19 Pandemic vaccine along with gradual lifting of lockdown across the country and the globe has also helped in boosting the business sentiments for the sector as a whole, which can be expected to be seen from the positive figures of the upcoming months. Going by this trend, we expect to end the financial 2020-21 with an overall merchandise exports of about US$290 billion, adds FIEO President. Exporters have continuously been receiving a lot of enquiries and orders further adding to the positive sentiments with signals of further resilience in the global supply chain. However, the litmus test for the traditional sectors of our exports would be the Christmas and New year sale. If that goes well, the inventory will be liquidated, adding to further demand, observed Saraf. FIEO Chief said that the exports of other cereals along with oil meals, iron-ore, rice, ceramic products and glassware, handicrafts excluding hand-made carpet, cereal preparations and miscellaneous processed item, carpet, jute mfg. including floor covering, spices, drugs and pharmaceuticals, tobacco, cotton yarn/fabrics/made-ups, handloom products etc., fruits and vegetables, tea, gems and jewellery, mica, coal and other …

With the demand for upgraded skills for port-led development increasing, the JNPT-Antwerp Port Training & Consultancy Foundation has announced an online course in Break Bulk Handling at the training centre. The programme has been devised after extensive consultations with the Ports and the other stakeholders. The aim of this online course is to provide training and expertise to port professionals and share the best practises prevailing at the leading terminals of Port of Antwerp. The online training sessions are led by faculty from APEC, Belgium and the Indian Experts, the sessions will be attended by officers from the Government Ports as well as Private Ports. Commenting on the training program, Sanjay Sethi, IAS, Chairman, JNPT says, “The participation in this course will help create common understanding of the safety and efficiency standards which will ensure safe and timely cargo handling. We intend to host many such courses after feedback from the private sector and the major ports. We are delighted with our APEC association, who has trained over 14,000 trainees from across 150 countries, since its inception making it the natural choice of Port-related trainings for port officials.”