Shipping confidence dips as trade wars intensify : BDO October 11 , 2019

ZAVENTEM: The Confidence in the shipping industry fell in the past three months to its lowest level for two and half years, according to the latest Shipping Confidence Survey from leading shipping adviser and accountant BDO. Yet owners, charterers and managers were more confident than they were at the time of the previous survey in May 2019.

The average confidence level recorded by the survey in the three months to end-August 2019 was 5.8 out of a possible maximum of 10.0. This compares to the figure of 6.1 recorded for the quarter ended May 2019.

Confidence was highest in the chartering sector (up from 6.2 to 7.0), while the increased ratings for owners and managers were from 6.3 to 6.4 and from 5.8 to 5.9, respectively. The rating for brokers, however, was down from 5.7 to 5.1.

Confidence

Confidence was up in Asia from 6.0 to 6.8 – the highest figure for this region since the survey was launched in May 2008 with an overall rating for all respondents in all geographical areas of 6.8 out of 10.0. The rating for Europe, however, was down, from 6.1 to 5.7.

According to the BDO survey, the likelihood of respondents making a major investment or significant development over the coming year was up from 5.4 to 5.5 out of 10.0. Charterers’ confidence in this regard was up from 5.6 to 6.8, and owners’ from 6.3 to 6.5. The ratings for managers and brokers were also up, from 4.8 to 6.1 and from 3.9 to 4.4, respectively. Expectations were up in Asia (from 5.5 to 6.6) whilst in Europe they were unchanged at 5.4.

The number of respondents expecting finance costs to increase over the coming year was down from 48% to 25%. The figures for all major categories of respondent were down, and in the case of owners and managers to survey lows of 27% and 20%, respectively.

Sri Lanka’s Container hub status grows despite direct mainline calls to Indian Ports : ADB

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Colombo port status as a container hub is growing despite shipping lines making direct calls to Indian ports, a new study by the Asian Development Bank has said.

The Asia–Europe shipping route passing close to Sri Lanka, enables Colombo to become the main hub port for the South Asian region, it said.

The study on maritime co-operation under the ADB’s South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program, said Colombo ranks 23rd in container traffic globally, ahead India’s largest ports Mumbai and Mundra.

“Colombo is SASEC’s busiest container port. It is close to the busy Southern Ocean Corridor and

acts as a container hub for the subcontinent,” the study said.

Its annual growth was 16.8 percent in 2017, and the transshipment activity, which represents almost 80% of handling, was up by over 20 percent.

“This high transshipment growth rate suggests its role as a hub for the subregion is increasing, despite more direct mainline calls to Indian ports,” the ADB report said.

Adani Ports unveils Mega ambitious plans for Dhamra Port

AHMEDABAD: Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) plans to invest as much as

Rs 48,933 crore to scale up its port at Dhamra in Odisha to handle 314 million tonnes (mt) of cargo.

The country’s biggest private port operator looks to make the Eastern Coast port as big as its flagship Mundra Port in Gujarat on the Western Coast. Mundra Port is India’s biggest private commercial port.

The expert appraisal committee (EAC) in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has recommended environmental and coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearances for the expansion of Dhamra on a revised master plan filed by APSEZ.

The Dhamra Port Company Ltd (DPCL), the APSEZ unit that runs the port, currently runs two berths with a capacity to load 25 mt of cargo such as coal, iron ore and lime-stone.

DPCL had earlier secured green and CRZ nod for the second phase of expansion to handle an additional 71.3 mt of dry bulk cargo, liquid and gas cargo including LNG, POL (LPG), other break bulk (clean cargo) and 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers.

Out of this approved expansion, 12 mt of LNG component has been transferred to Dhamra LNG Terminal Private Limited.

The planned expansion of Dhamra — one of India’s deepest ports with a depth of 18 metres that allows super capsize ships to dock — will be done in two phases by tweaking the master plan.

APSEZ will expand Dhamra’s capacity first to 169.5 mt with an investment of Rs 17,518 crore over the next five years and then to 314 mt by investing additional Rs 31,415 crore by the end of 30 years. The expansion includes container handling facilities with an initial capacity of 3.1 million TEUs which will be expanded to 4.66 million TEUs.

The revised master plan envisages construction of berths and marine structures that can handle multi-purpose and liquid/gas/cryogenic cargo with larger back-up facilities.

Dhamra Port has a 62.5-km rail link with single line track, connecting the port with the Indian Railways network near Bhadrak station.

The port has acquired 125-metre wide land corridor from Dhamra to Bhadrak for providing exclusive connectivity with the hinterland.

Under the revised master plan, APSEZ proposes to develop an additional two-lane road and a rail track in the existing corridor. In addition, for easy evacuation of cargo, a new rail, road and utilities corridor is proposed from the Northern boundary of the port.

This corridor will connect Dhamra Port with existing rail-road corridor near Bansada, Bhadrak. The revised master plan lay out is outside the eco-sensitive zone of Bhitarkanika Sanctuary and National Park and Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.

The expansion of Dhamra Port will help APSEZ reach the target of handling 400 mt of cargo by 2025.

SCI observed 2nd October as its 59th Foundation Day

MUMBAI: The Shipping Corporation of India Ltd celebrated its 59th Foundation Day on 2nd October, 2019. The event began with the garlanding of the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj & Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. Subsequently, cultural programme was presented by in-house talent. Shri Mavjibhai B Sorathia, Independent Director, Ex. CMD and Directors of SCI also graced the occasion. SCI employees who had completed 25 years of service were felicitated on this occasion.

The 2nd October also marked the culmination of the Swachhata Pakwada at SCI. Activities were undertaken at SCI head office, regional offices, on board ships and Jawahar, a tribal village. Throughout the fortnight, various competitions like cleanest floor, poster making, slogan and ‘best out of waste’ were conducted. A film was prepared on the various activities undertaken by the employees of SCI and was on display during the foundation day function. Prizes of the Swachhata and Hindi Pakwada competitions were distributed at this function. In a bid to spread the message of “Swachhata hi Sewa”, a skit was also presented by cadets of the SCI Maritime Training Institute, which was highly appreciated.

Mrs. H K Joshi, Chairman & Managing Director, SCI emphasized on the past glory of the organisation which was due to erstwhile stalwarts and motivated employees to take up the challenges and work together as a team to take SCI to greater heights, said a SCI release.

Ocean Network Express (Europe) becomes Authorised Economic Operator

SINGAPORE: Ocean Network Express (ONE) is pleased to announce that Ocean Network Express (Europe) Ltd has achieved Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) accreditation. AEO status is an internationally recognised quality mark that shows ONE’s role in the international supply chain is secure and that our customs controls and procedures are efficient and are compliant with European Union Standards. Achieving AEO status has demanded diligent processes and procedures are in place accomplished by our own best practice.

This award and status confirms our approval certification for security and customs transactions globally. Committed to quality this further substantiates ONE as a reliable and trusted carrier for our valued customers. The authorization type is AEOF – Customer simplification and safety and security. ONE authorization number is GB AEOF 00076/19 and is effective immediately. ONE will continue to contribute to people’s everyday life through shipping and logistic needs of customer worldwide, said a ONE release.

CMA CGM Group's brands reorganization on Russian Far East

MARSEILLE: CMA CGM Group has been decided that the scope of APL and CMA CGM in Russia will evolve as of January 1st, 2020.

The allocations of APL on ERX/RUFEX1, ER3/RUFEX2, KR1/RUFEX3, KR2/RUFEX4, JRX Lines will be transferred to CMA CGM, making CMA CGM the sole carrier of the Group on Russian Far East, and the sole deep-sea brand in the 3 corridors of Russian Market: Baltic, Black Sea, Russian Far East.

The above developments are in line with its customer centricity strategy as these changes will help further re-shape the business for faster decision making, provide a simplified set of entry points and enhance customer service levels for its client base.

APL and CMA CGM teams are fully committed to ensuring a smooth transition, making sure that this transfer has no impact on its commercial operations, in Russia and globally.

“We will continue to support your business across all trades and are committed to maintaining strong service levels throughout the transition,” concludes the statement from CMA CGM.

DP World leads in advancement of Global Logistics Industry October 11 , 2019

DUBAI: Global trade enabler DP World is leading the advancement of global logistics industry by harnessing modern-day disruptive technologies. Through strategic network growth, acquisitions and partnerships, DP World successfully established a world-leading logistics infrastructure, diversifying its portfolio to better serve the dynamic trade needs of its customers through the deployment of next-generation technology and innovations that deliver safer, faster, efficient, and more sustainable solutions.

DP World took part in this year’s Gitex (October 6-10), showcasing three breakthrough innovations under the umbrella of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC) which features a mega stand themed ‘Gateway to Future Innovations’.

The displayed innovations highlight the company’s commitment to enabling smarter trade by delivering first-in-class logistics solutions and services to make a better future for everyone:

Box-Bay Storage

The technology is going to solve a decades-old problem by giving port operators direct access to any sea container, overcoming the need to “reshuffle” containers whenever one is needed. The expected result is 200 per cent more capacity than a conventional terminal. This is

two-and-a-half to three times more containers per hectare than all competitors can currently do.

The idea is to stack up to 11 shipping containers into vertical columns — about three times the average height currently used — and house each one in an individual compartment.

An automated system can then retrieve each without moving any others.

Inter Terminal Transfer of Container using External Trucks. The main objective of this initiative is to reduce traffic congestion within JAFZA / DP WORLD Terminals for container movement between T1, T2 and T3.

Twist lock Robot:

The “Twist lock Bot” is a robotic arm to remove/engage twist locks on the container without human intervention. It can smartly handle different types of locks of internal trucks. The advanced system offers many great benefits, including increasing safety by removing workforce from pinning station, enhancing productivity by reducing human activity with the robotic arm, and 20% faster than humans performing the same activity.

Block Chain

DP World’s Block Chain project is set to speed up automation of operations through Block chain technology towards a more streamlined and secure procedures. This supports Dubai’s Block Chain strategy.

DP World Group Chairman & CEO Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, said: “We have a vision to enable smarter trade for the benefit of everyone around the world through innovation and data-driven logistics.”

“The pavilion will become a permanent feature of Expo 2020 Dubai’s legacy at District 2020, reinforcing the emirate’s reputation as a knowledge-based economy. It will benefit future generations for years to come, long after the event has ended by introducing young minds to career opportunities in logistics and trade coupled with insights into their vital role in keeping the world moving.”

“Under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, we are excited to play a major role in a new era of global mobility and trade, while showcasing it to the world here in Dubai.”