Saravanan's Blog

SOURCE: http://themaritimehub.org/the-shipping-industry-investing-essentials/ The world economy relies on the movement of commodities and goods across oceans, in the air, and over railways and highways. The ceaseless flow of materials and products is often out of sight and far from our attention, but life would be vastly different for most of us without the necessities and conveniences made possible by the shipping industry. What is the shipping industry? The shipping industry facilitates domestic and global manufacturing and trade via transportation of commodities and finished products, while also providing for the delivery of goods directly to consumers. A wide variety of commercial transport methods can be found in the shipping industry, from bulk transport of commodities in railcars to highly specialized “intermodal” container shipping. Four major modes of transport exist in this industry: marine, air, rail, and freight (trucking). How big is the shipping industry? The ...

By Sri Laxmana - Director of Ocean Services, C.H. Robinson Sulfur Emission Regulations You may have already heard that on January 1, 2015, ocean vessels will face stricter sulfur emissions regulations. While this may seem like it won’t affect you, think again. It’s true that carriers will be responsible for compliance with the change. However, the cost of compliance is often passed on to shippers. What’s Changing? To protect the environment and reduce global pollution, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has regulations in place to control particulate matter emanations, including sulfur emissions. Sulfur—a natural element of the crude oil that ships use as fuel—is a primary cause of air-polluting particles emitted by ships. The new sulfur level regulations are intended to reduce the amount of air pollution generated by the shipping industry to improve air quality. There are two standards carriers must follow—emissions inside an emission control area (ECA) and em...

Source: http://www.portwings.in/articlesinterviews/tamil-nadu-maritime-board-needs-a-spark-gmb-shows-the-way/ Port Wings News Bureau: With the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board’s (TMB) policies for developing minor ports to become a true “Maritime gateway state of East Coast” shrouded in mystery, experts in Exim sector here feel that the board should learn from its counterpart in West coast, Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), which has earned laurels from various quarters for playing pivotal role in bringing in sustained revenue for the state as well to the country’s exchequer. Though Mr Rajeev Ranjan I.A.S., Principal Secretary to Govt for Highways and Minor Ports, while speaking to Port Wings recently asserted that the state government is not lagging behind in promoting it as the maritime gateway to South Asian ports in East Coast, ground reality is totally different and any further delay to capitalize the emerging opportunities in port sector could push the ...

Source: http://www.portwings.in/articlesinterviews/shortage-of-customs-officers-impediment-to-exim-business-trade/ Port Wings News Bureau: While the Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly emphasizing on increasing exports from the country on every available forum,  shortage of Customs officials, mainly responsible for facilitating the export and import (Exim) sector, is going to be a real impediment to the sustained growth of trade, analyst say. According to official sources in Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), the shortage of manpower in Customs Department has  increased gradually over the years and now stands at about 40% . Speaking to Port Wings, Mr Murugan, a regular exporter of agricultural products from different East Coast ports, said, “There is a huge shortage of Customs officials at lower, middle and top levels for the last few years in most of the sea ports as well as airports, and it was badly affecting the trade.” “Shortage of official...

Source: http://www.portwings.in/articlesinterviews/kamarajar-port-aims-big-in-containerized-cargo-domain-bhaskarachar/ Port Wings News Bureau: After a failed first attempt in bringing in containerized cargo handling facility about two years ago at the port, Kamarajar Port Limited (KPL), erstwhile Ennore Port Limited,  is treading cautiously now and takes well-measured steps to put everything, like better road and rail connectivity, in place before the commencement of container operations. “Yes, we are taking systematic steps to put everything in place for smooth commencement of container operations in KPL, which is expected to begin in June 2016,” said  Mr M.A. Bhaskarachar, Chairman cum Managing Director, Kamarajar Port Ltd , a Miniratna Category-I Public Sector Undertaking of the Government of India under the Ministry of Shipping. In an exclusive interview to Port Wings, Mr Bhaskarachar explained about the steps being taken by the port management to create add...

Source: http://www.portwings.in/logistics/db-schenker-proves-its-prowess-in-logistics/ Port Wings News Bureau: For the first time ever, the logistics experts at DB Schenker have combined transportation by rail, road and air across three continents to organize a delivery for an electronics manufacturer from China to South America . In total, 21 metric tons of cell phone electronics were transported by rail from Chongqing in central China to Duisburg, Germany, via Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Poland, a statement from the company has said. From Duisburg, it was a truck journey to Frankfurt Airport, from where DB Schenker sent the cargo by plane to Brazil. Commenting on the first-ever and successful attempt, Mr Daniel Wieland, Head of Rail Logistics & Forwarding at DB Schenker Logistics, said, " This first successful shipment combining rail, road and air freight has shown the growth potential of multimodal logistics. " The combination of rail, truck a...

Source: http://www.portwings.in/ports/pm-modi-to-lay-foundation-of-sez-at-jnpt/ Mumbai: Port Wings News Bureau: The Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi will lay the foundation of a Port- Based Multi-product Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) at Sheva, Navi Mumbai on Saturday, August 16, 2014. According to a media statement, the infrastructure project is to be established on 277 hectares with a total Public and Private investment of about Rs 4,000 Crore.  Besides, the project, being planned as a Self-Sustainable Integrated Development Project, has a potential of generating over 1.5 lakh direct and indirect jobs. The ambitious SEZ to be developed through JNPT-SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) under the Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) mode is scheduled to be completed within three years. With a focus on the upcoming sectors of India, the SEZ will develop Free Trade Warehousing Zone, Engineering Goods Sector, Electro...

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-28558480 Man walking past mural of panama flag : The Panama Canal features prominently in Panamanian life Panama, a small nation of just three million, has the largest shipping fleet in the world,  greater than those of the US and China combined. Aliyya Swaby investigates how this tiny  Central American country came to rule the waves. Thanks to its location and slender shape, Panama enjoys a position as the guardian of one of  the world's most important marine trade routes, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic  oceans. For a hundred years the Panama Canal has provided a short cut for ships wishing to avoid the  more hazardous route via Cape Horn. Dubbed one of the seven wonders of the modern world, the 77km (48-mile) canal is a feat of  engineering that handles 14,000 ships every year along its intricate lock system. Many of these vessels fly the Panamanian flag yet the country itself has ...

Pic courtesy: http://www.ccny.cuny.edu Source: http://www.crisisgroup.org A failure of intelligence on the Korean peninsula – the site of the world’s highest concentration of military personnel with a history of fraught, sometimes violent, sabre-rattling – could have catastrophic consequences.  Yet the South Korean intelligence community has revealed its susceptibility to three types of pathologies – intelligence failure, the politicisation of intelligence, and intervention in domestic politics by intelligence agencies – which bring into stark relief the potential for grievous miscalculation and policy distortions when addressing the threat from North Korea. Moves by intelligence agencies to recover or bolster their reputations by compromising sensitive information have compounded the problem. Efforts are needed to reform the South’s intelligence capacities, principally by depoliticising its agencies and ensuring adequate legislative and judicial oversight. Lawmaker...