Nitin Gadkari updates on progress of Bharatmala Project

NEW DELHI:  The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari has informed the Parliament that Government of India had approved Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I in October, 2017 with an aggregate length of about 34,800 km (including 10,000 km residual NHDP stretches) at an estimated outlay of Rs. 5,35,000 crore for development of about 9,000 km length of Economic corridors, about 6,000 km length of Inter-corridor and feeder roads, about 5,000 km length of National Corridors Efficiency improvements, about 2,000 km length of Border and International connectivity roads, about 2,000 km length of Coastal and port connectivity roads, and about 800 km length of Expressways.
 Total of 255 road projects with an aggregate length of about 10,699 km have been approved till October, 2019 under Bharatmala Pariyojana with total Cost of Rs. 2,64,916 crore approximately. Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I is targeted for completion by 2021-22.

isakhapatnam Port records 10 % growth in cargo throughput in current fiscal so far

VISAKHAPATNAM: Beating the economy slowdown and adverse market conditions, the Visakhapatnam Port Trust has recorded 10% growth rate, the highest among Major Ports during the current fiscal.
The port, which was operational way back in 1933, has also overtaken the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in handling cargo as per the latest figures. “We are confident of handling 70 million tonne by March 31 to improve our ranking from fourth to third among the Major Ports,”VPT Deputy Chairman P.L. Haranadh has said recently.
As on December 3, the port handled a throughput of 47.66 million tonne as against 43.14 million tonne during the corresponding period last year registering an incremental volume of 4.52 million tonne.
Incidentally, all the ports put together have achieved a marginal growth rate. If the trend continues, the VPT will occupy the third slot after Kandla and Paradip. During the last fiscal, the VPT handled 65.30 million tonne. The previous best cargo handled by the port was 68.04 million tonnes in 2010-11.

Major Ports’ handles 463.07 million tonnes cargo during April-Nov Period : IPA

NEW DELHI: Cargo volume handled by the Country’s top 12 ports was marginally up by 0.34 per cent at 463.07 million tonnes during the April-November period this year, according to the Indian Ports Association (IPA).

The ports had handled 461.48 MT of cargo during the corresponding period of the last fiscal. The ports are Deendayal (erstwhile Kandla), Mumbai, JNPT, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Kamarajar (earlier Ennore), V.O. Chidambaranar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia).

While the handling of iron ore saw a 30.24 per cent jump to 33.95 MT to during the period, thermal coal shipments declined by 17.82 per cent to 58.17 MT, the IPA data showed.

The 12 ports had handled 26.07 MT of iron ore and 70.79 MT of coal during the April-November period of the previous fiscal.

Handling of coking and other coal rose by 1.95 per cent to 37.17 MT during the eight months as compared with 36.45 MT of coking coal handled in the corresponding period last fiscal.

Finished fertiliser volumes jumped 24.08 per cent during the period but raw fertiliser volumes declined by 3.12 per cent.

Containers recorded a growth of 3.36 per cent in terms of TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units).

According to the figures, Deendayal Port handled the highest traffic volume at 82.20 MT during the April-November period, followed by Paradip at 73.25 MT, Visakhapatnam at 47.05, JNPT at 44.93 MT, Kolkata (including Haldia) at 41.25 MT, and Mumbai at 40.88 MT. Chennai Port handled 32.14 MT of cargo, while New Mangalore handled 24.17 MT.

The volume of seaborne cargo is essentially in the nature of derived demand and is mainly shaped by the levels and changes in both global and domestic activity.

 

NYK Group Companies recognized at 13th Environmental Management Conference

TOKYO: In the NYK’s 13th Environmental Management Conference in Tokyo, two companies were recognized for their improvement of company value on November 25. The two — Nippon Yuka Kogyo Co. Ltd. and MTI Co. Ltd.— were selected from among 39 domestic NYK Group companies.

NYK holds this conference once a year with NYK Group companies to share information on environmental practices and strengthen environmental management. The two recognized group companies were highly commended for connecting their environmental measures to their business activities. Details of the measures are provided below.

Nippon Yuka Kogyo Co. Ltd.

Activity: Developed Yunic 800VLS, a new fuel-oil additive.

Details: A low-sulphur compliant fuel-oil that meets the 2020 SOx cap and disperses asphaltene and paraffin (wax), which can foul the fuel tank. Japan’s first additive for very low sulfur fuel oil can suppress sludge formation and contribute to reducing environmantal loads as well as fostering safe operation.

MTI Co. Ltd.

Activity: Installed MT-FAST, a fuel-saving device jointly developed with Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Company, on 500 vessels.

Details: MT-FAST is a multi-blade device that can be attached to a ship’s hull to improve the propeller's propulsion efficiency.

The conference participants were also captivated by a presentation by Yukihiro Misawa of the World Wide Fund for Nature Japan (WWF Japan) who spoke about plastic pollution at sea.

On the opportunity of this presentation, NYK decided to donate to WWF Japan to support its efforts to address climate change and plastic pollution at sea.

NYK will continue to enhance its activities to reduce the environmental impact of the entire NYK Group, and will make an effort to achieve the medium- to long-term environmental targets for to the sustainable development of society and enrichment of the group’s corporate value.

 

Hamburg Süd launches Remote Container Management Technology December 10 , 2019

HAMBURG: All Hamburg Süd customers can use the new Remote Container Management (RCM) technology for their reefer container shipments with immediate effect. RCM monitors parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, and the concentrations of O2 and CO2 within the reefer container in real time. The added value of using RCM is that it enables customers to use this data to monitor their supply chain better, to make it much more efficient and reliable, and to thereby leverage great potential for cost savings. As a special feature the data of the cargo probes for Cold Treatment cargo are available online.

 

The whole reefer container fleet of Hamburg Süd and Maersk has been outfitted with the necessary technology. Recent months have been spent carrying out test shipments and developing the digital customer interface. The result is an intuitive, very user-friendly online application that can be accessed via PC, tablet or smartphone, and that conveniently displays all important parameters of the refrigerated container.

Once registered customers have logged in, they will receive an overview of the reefer containers they have booked as well as information on ports of departure and destination, container numbers and vessel names. The “Journey Log” shows all the important events of the container transport, such as delivery to the terminal or loading onto and discharging from the ship. Customers can view the data on the conditions within the containers at any time and, with just a few clicks, download it as an Excel list or forward it directly, for example, to the recipient of the goods. What’s more, customers get notified if settings are deviating from standard parameters. If critical limit values are exceeded or not maintained, Hamburg Süd’s operations team also receives an alarm notification so that they can take any measures necessary to safeguard quality of the cargo.

If users have any questions about their current shipments or the application itself, they can immediately get in touch with reefer experts at any time 24/7 via a chat function. “With RCM, we are combining the best of both worlds for our reefer customers: digital state-of-the-art technology, which is already tailored as much as possible to individual requirements, in addition to a personal service that can be accessed at any time,” says Frank Smet, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Hamburg Süd.

Bahri joins Maritime Anti-Corruption Network to promote collective Anti-Bribery efforts in Maritime Sector

RIYADH: Bahri, a global leader in logistics and transportation, has become an official member of the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN), a global business network of over 110 companies working together to tackle corruption in the maritime industry. Bahri’s membership underlines its commitment to contribute to advancing a culture of integrity in the maritime sector.

Bahri’s decision to join MACN supports Saudi Arabia’s ongoing commitment to zero tolerance of corruption at all levels, as directed in its Saudi Vision 2030 program. A party to the

UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), the Kingdom aims to become a frontrunner in the international efforts to prevent and fight corruption. The country is keen on reaching the highest levels of transparency, governance, and accountability through the adoption of leading international standards and practices.

Commenting on the development, Abdullah Aldubaikhi, CEO of Bahri, said: “With transparency being a key pillar of its core values, Bahri has always upheld international standards and best practices across its operations. With our membership in MACN, we are reaffirming our resolve to work with all stakeholders in tackling bribery and corruption as well as promoting free, fair and open competition in the maritime sector. We are confident that the collective efforts of MACN will accelerate the development of a safe and sustainable shipping and trade ecosystem.”

With the membership, Bahri joins the industry-led collective action initiative’s ongoing campaign dedicated to enabling fair trade through the promotion of compliance with anti-corruption laws and the elimination of corrupt practices across the wider supply chain. The members of MACN are committed to ensuring strict compliance with all applicable antitrust and competition laws to facilitate procompetitive, transparent and efficient maritime business globally.

Headquartered in Riyadh with a global network of offices in Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA, and India, Bahri is the largest owner and operator of Very Large Crude-oil Carriers (VLCCs) in the world and the largest owner and operator of chemical tankers in the Middle East. Through its five business units – Bahri Oil, Bahri Logistics, Bahri Chemicals, Bahri Dry Bulk and Bahri Ship Management – the company owns and operates an impressive fleet of 90 vessels, including 43 VLCCs, 36 chemical tankers, six multipurpose vessels, and five dry bulk carriers, serving 150 ports worldwide.

 

MSC becomes first major Shipping Line to use 30% Biofuel Blends

GENEVA: MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is pleased to announce that the company is now starting to use biofuel in its vessels calling in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, said a company release.

Following successful trials with biofuel blends earlier this year, MSC has decided to continue bunkering responsibly sourced biofuel blends on a routine basis.

The trials were completed with a minimal 10% blend fuel and following further trials the company is now using much higher 30% blends. “We are pleased to see these trials completed successfully and look forward to now using biofuel on our vessels as a routine matter. When using such blended fuel, we can expect an estimated 15-20% reduction in absolute CO2 emissions,” said Bud Darr, Executive Vice President, Maritime Policy & Government Affairs, MSC Group. “The potential CO2 reduction in the bio component of these fuels could reach 80-90%, which we will monitor and confirm over time”, he continues.

Responsibly sourced biofuels could provide an alternative solution for the shipping sector to meet the 2030 IMO level of ambition for CO2 emissions intensity reduction, as well as to make significant progress toward the 2050 levels of ambition. Using biofuel on container ships could significantly help reduce emissions and improve air quality.

MSC’s decision to use biofuel is complementary to the company’s broader strategic approach to sustainability. 

The company remains committed to implementing concrete plans to modernise its green and efficient fleet via the largest container shipping investment program in the industry.