GMB Ports handle 4% higher cargo between April-Sept ‘19 (YoY)

GANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) Ports has handled around 200.9 MMT of Cargo between  April-September 2019 registering growth of over 4% on YoY basis. Crude oil cargo shipment stood at 47.9 MMT which is almost 24% of total cargo handled, said a communiqué from GMB.

Gujarat Maritime Board has established itself as Maritime Leader in port development, privatisation and specialised cargo handling in India. It is also the 1st Maritime Board of the Country which was created up in 1982 with a vision "To enhance and harness ports and international trade as vehicles for economic development.”

With foresighted thinking and strategically located longest coastline of 1600 kms, GMB charted a different and unexplored route of port development in 1980s. This was the era when Major Ports enjoyed monopoly over sea freight, with very little or no port capacity with State Governments.

ONE establishes stowage planning hub in Japan

SINGAPORE: ONE has announced the establishment of “Advanced Ocean Container Transportation Engineering Lab” (AOCTEL), a stowage planning hub located in Kumamoto, Japan.

AOCTEL is established to succeed the role and responsibility of Kumamoto Stowage Planning Office. The office was founded by Kozo Keikaku Engineering Inc (“KKE”) for Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha five years ago, and ONE succeeded the service agreement with KKE when liner business of the 3 Japanese shipping lines integrated in April 2018.

After the integration and commencement of ONE’s operation, Kumamoto Stowage Planning Office took on the initiative role among ONE’s global stowage planning offices to strengthen efficiency improvement. To further advance stowage performance, enhance global teamwork and perform beyond best practice, ONE Japan, the subsidiary company of ONE in Japan, and KKE established AOCTEL, as the new partnership with the aim of working collaboratively with an innovative approach in providing best in class quality and service to ONE’s customers.

NYK holds Annual Dry Bulk Safety Conference

TOKYO: NYK held its annual Dry Bulk Safety Conference at the company’s headquarters in Tokyo to share safety awareness and review trouble response for dry bulk vessels.

A total of 75 participants from 41 Japanese shipowners and ship-management companies attended.

This conference has been held every year since 2010 to promote safety through the exchange of ideas and the sharing of information about recent incidents with shipowners and ship-management company personnel in charge of vessel management.

The Dry Bulk Division’s goal is to become the world’s leading dry bulk fleet, and to achieve this aim, participants shared new technology being used for safe and efficient operation and actively exchanged opinions with one another. This year’s topics included the ship quality demanded by global resources companies, the drive recorder that is installed on the bridge to prevent further accidents, and the benefit of using a new fuel-oil additive developed by Nippon Yuka Kogyo Co. Ltd. to lower sulphur and thus help the NYK Group comply with environmental regulations.

In its medium-term management plan “Staying Ahead 2022 with Digitalization and Green” released in March, NYK announced a strategy to achieve sustainable growth. The NYK Group will endeavour to realize safety and high quality transportation, thus responding to environmental issues with various partners.

APL’s Eagle REACH. Guaranteed, becomes daily

SINGAPORE: APL, part of the CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, has announced that the Eagle REACH. Guaranteed, a day-definite arrival rail service from Los Angeles to Kansas City, Chicago, Memphis, Dallas and New York will depart daily instead of weekly from  1st November 2019.

Extending the money-back-guaranteed offering beyond shipments onboard APL’s US flagged Eagle Express 1 (EX1) service, shippers with cargo onboard the South China Loop 1 (SC1) and Pendulum Loop 1 (PE1) services that call the US West Coast weekly will now be able to secure their day-definite cargo arrival at the designated North America inland locations on rail via APL’s enhanced Eagle REACH. Guaranteed.

“The daily rail departure of Eagle REACH. Guaranteed is an upgrade from the current weekly departure from Los Angeles. This translates into significantly improved transit times for shippers who can now immediately move their cargo on rail to the destined inland locations, on top of knowing the definite arrival day. By extending the product to the SC1 and PE1 services, we reach a wider group of shippers, enabling them to manage their logistics and supply chain planning with more precision,” said Jesper Stenbak, APL Senior Vice President of Trans-Pacific Trade.

Eagle REACH. Guaranteed forms part of APL’s suite of Eagle Guaranteed services including Eagle GO. Guaranteed and Eagle GET. Guaranteed.

Eagle GO. Guaranteed for North American-bound cargo secures APL shippers space and equipment originating from all direct and non-direct loading ports in Asia and Middle East. Cargo from non-direct loading ports will be assured of equipment at the origin and vessel space onboard the first leg, as they en-route to the trans-shipment hubs for priority shipping to the US and Canada.

APL’s Eagle GET. Guaranteed assures chassis from APL’s very own dedicated pool with container on wheels within 2 hours of cargo discharge from EX1, SC1 and PE1 services at the Fenix terminal in Los Angeles. Customers will also enjoy express access via Fenix terminal’s bobtail gate for swift cargo pick-up.

“APL’s Eagle Guaranteed services offer a wholistic suite of end-to-end solutions that are tailor-made for the different needs of our customers. They allow shippers to make more informed decisions and adapt their supply chain plan with greater flexibility,” elaborated Stenbak.

Evergreen & Samsung Heavy signs Ultra-Large Containership deal

SEOUL: Samsung Heavy Industries has signed shipbuilding deals for Evergreen’s latest Ultra-Large Containerships, valued at a total of USD 920 million.

The order was placed for the construction of six of the world’s largest container ships, with a capacity of 23,000 TEUs, by May 2022.

The giants will feature a length of 400 meters and a width of 61.5 meters. They will be capable of transporting 23,764 twenty-foot containers at once.

The order exceeds Samsung Heavy’s previous Ultra-Large Containership, that can transport 23,756 containers, delivered to Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) in July 2019.

Samsung Heavy said the vessels will be equipped with its latest smart ship technologies for low fuel consumption and safe sailing. “The demand for ultra-large containerships is expected to continue as global ship owners have reduced cost through an economy of scale,” an SHI official said, adding that the shipbuilder is therefore expected to “keep leading the ultra-large boxships market.”

The latest contract has pushed Samsung Heavy’s orderbook to USD 5.1 billion so far this year. It now includes 35 vessels, meeting 65 percent of the shipbuilder’s annual target of USD 7.8 billion.

In September 2019, the Taiwanese shipping major Evergreen confirmed its plans to build a total of ten 23,000 TEU containerships at three shipyards.

Apart from the units ordered from SHI, the company said that China’s Jiangnan Shipyard and Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding would construct another two ships each.

The value of the entire order stands between USD 1.4 billion and USD 1.6 billion.

Essar Ports honoured for CSR initiatives at Seatrade Maritime Awards 2019

MUMBAI: Essar Ports Ltd. has won the Award for its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives recently. Being a responsible corporate committed to making a positive social impact, Essar Ports has been actively working towards improving education, environment, health care and livelihood for the community. The Award was received by Capt. Sukhdev Singh Bhamra on behalf of Essar Ports Ltd.

Taking place on the first evening of UAE Maritime Week, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, and the Chairman of the Executive Council, the Awards ceremony is a highlight in the shipping awards calendar.

The ceremony recognises individuals and organisations that have made noteworthy impact on the market over the course of the past year.

Seatrade Maritime is the largest global media portfolio connecting individuals and corporates to the international maritime market. Its events, publications, awards and websites encompass all aspects of maritime activity. They encourage innovation and facilitate better communication within the industry.

The Award is a matter for great pride for all of us at Essar Ports. It strengthens our belief in growing in unison with the community, and working towards a better and sustainable future, said a company release.

Maersk empowers S Trade opportunities & simplified Cargo movementEs in Odisha with new

MUMBAI: Maersk, the Global integrator of Container Logistics, recently successfully completed its first import shipment to Sambalpur from the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Jharsuguda (Odisha). The shipment carrying 80 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) was delivered to Shyam Metalics. Whilst a few of the top customers in the region have already moved containers on the import side – with more in the pipeline, this delivery is testament to Maersk’s efforts to unlock new trade opportunities in Odisha by leveraging the operational commencement of the ICD situated in Jharsuguda.

 

All major metal customers have shown interest in the import leg as well since there is a clear value to it. Prompted by the need to bring the container inventory closer to the customer needs, the ICD aims to reduce the complexities in the supply chain, enabling small and medium-sized businesses to multiply the benefits of trade. This will further encourage inclusive growth and prosperity across the region. Strategically located in Odisha’s prime industrial belt, the ICD can deliver empty containers to the customers in a matter of hours, helping them reduce transportation costs by almost 15-20%.

 

Commenting on this milestone achievement, Mr. Steve Felder, Managing Director, Maersk South Asia, said, “Small and medium sized businesses, being significant sources of innovation and job creation, are some of the largest contributors to the Country’s economy. While trade is a key enabler of growth and prosperity, as global integrator of container logistics, our aim is to simplify it further by facilitating end-to-end logistics, reducing the transit time and cost to make it more accessible and sustainable for everyone. 

We believe that this will empower the local trade ecosystem to become more inclusive, thereby amplifying livelihood across the region.”

With a plan to run a weekly export train providing a doorstep pickup and delivery, the company has projections of handling in excess of 4,000 TEUs on an annual basis. Coupled with the availability of Receipt for Shipment (RFS) facility, ICD Jharsuguda will further help slash the transit time of shipments from 10 days to 5 days, thus helping customers address their logistical challenges across the supply chain. The company is witnessing demand from metal customers and plans to further expand its services to other verticals moving forward.

“Efficiency is the key to any business success, and we are here to reduce the complexities in logistics, so that our customers can focus on their business growth extracting more value from trade.” said Mr. Akshyat Bhatia, Head of Intermodal, Maersk South Asia.

 

Pleased with the export delivery, Mr. Vinod Agrawal, General Manager Logistics, Vedanta Aluminium Ltd., said “We have availed ‘end to end’ factory stuffing services of Maersk Jharsuguda ICD for a trial period of 2 months and executed 500 TEU’s so far. Maersk has provided seamless service in this regard, with complete ownership. This is a classic example of expertise that Maersk offers in Logistics & Services. Jharsuguda ICD is strategically located to provide value addition to all customers in this region for import & export. We look forward higher volume & further collaboration with Maersk in this regard. “

 

Likewise, Mr. Saurav Das, DGM Sales and Marketing, Shyam Metalics & Energy Ltd., mentioned, “Maersk has provided us with hassle-free and end-to-end logistics solutions. As we see a clear value-delivery and new business growth opportunities through this product, we expect to increase our volumes in the near-future post successful import delivery.”