Port Blair air travel expensive

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/131010/news-current-affairs/article/port-blair-air-travel-expensive

By S. Sujatha 

If there is one air route in India that helps airlines make a lot of money, it has to be the trip to Port Blair from the mainland.

The airfare for the two-hour trip from Chennai to Port Blair has suddenly shot up to Rs 19,000-Rs 24,000 bracket one way. A few tickets are also priced at Rs 30,590 one way non­-­stop from Che­n­nai to Port Blair.

“For this money, we could have travelled to Singapore or made a full round trip from Chennai to Mumbai to Delhi and back,” said an air passenger. According to Andaman-n­a­t­ive Naga Jothi, who is now settled in Ch­ennai.

“Even though the regular fare to An­da­man is only around Rs 6,000 one way, I was re­­­ady to pay till Rs 10,000 due to festival se­ason. But Rs 20,000 is way above my budget,” she added.

Similarly, Radha Ramesh, another And­aman native married in Chennai, said, “Earlier, we used to travel by sea, but now, especially after two children, I prefer to go by air. But this exorbitant airfare is dissuading me to visit my mother’s home,” she added.

A senior official in Air In­dia said the de­m­and was more in Oc­tober due to puja festival and so not many are able to travel in discounted fares.  

When contacted, a senior official in the civil aviation ministry told Deccan Chronicle that since Andaman sector didn’t have enough cap­acity, the airfare was inflated.

“We are able to understand the pr­o­blem of  passengers. We will talk to DGCA and try to push down the pr­ic­es,” the official added.

Ennore Port surpasses earlier cargo handling record

Source: http://www.sagarsandesh.com/news/ennore-port-surpasses-earlier-cargo-handling-record/

Ennore Port, country’s only corporate Major Port located in Tamil Nadu, has surpassed the previous year half-yearly handling of cargo by 12.68 Million Tonnes (MT) as against eight Million Tonnes, handled during the same period last year (2012-13).

According to official sources, for the first half in 2013-13 (April to September), Ennore Port had handled a total traffic of 12.68 Million Tonnes.

Besides, Ennore Port has also achieved the fastest growth rate among all Major Ports over the past years with an impressive 59 per cent increase in cargo handling for the period.

While the port had handled about 10.6 MT of coal in the first six months of 2013-14, the figure was at 6.74 MT during the corresponding period last financial year.

Likewise, handling of cars has also increased considerably in the financial year, owing to vigorous marketing to use the facilities at Ennore Port among the car-exporting companies by the port’s management team.

While it was only 65, 244 car units handled in the first half of the last financial year, the number has swelled this time to a whopping 89, 759 car units.

Further, the port has also made considerable improvement in handling petroleum products, different chemicals and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

It may be noted here that the port has recently got Indian Railways in-principle approval for the Rs. 170-crore 26-km-long rail link on a single track connecting it with the Chennai-Gudur mainline.

According to sources, once the rail-line is completed, it would help the port to ferry more cargo on both the direction in a hassle-free manner.

Once a pirate always a pirate?

Source:http://www.lloydsloadinglist.com/
By Liz McMahon | Tuesday, 08 October 2013

UN report urges vigilance as Somali attack groups rest but have not retired

Although the heyday for piracy is over, criminal networks that have reverted to other illicit behaviour can easily shift to and from piracy for the right returns, a report from the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea warned.
It also warned that any move to relax private security measures and withdraw international naval forces could prompt a new spate of attacks.

The UN body noted increasing deployment, as piracy wanes, of unregulated and untrained Somali security guards to provide armed protection on vessels involved in regional trade or fishing.

In Mogadishu, local bodies such as Mogadishu Port Authority and the police control this business, it said. Such bodies provide guards, weapons and licences, charging shipping companies $500 a month per armed guard and providing these personnel with one-year licences.
In Puntland, however, the enterprise is controlled by private businessmen linked to illicit maritime activities that threaten regional safety and security such as smuggling, illegal fishing and piracy.
The monitoring group identified a network of individuals, including known pirate leaders, who provide this type of private security, whose names have been linked to weapons smuggling and to al-Shabaab networks in north-eastern Somalia.
Such connections enable the regional al-Shabaab leadership to secure a steady flow of weapons and explosives, much of it originating from criminal networks in Yemen, the report said.
The drop in piracy has prompted Harardhere pirate kingpins Mohamed Abdi Hassan, known as Afweyne, and Mohamed Osman Mohamed, known as Gafanje, to denounce such attacks. Earlier this year the two attempted to negotiate an amnesty agreement, reportedly offering to release all hostages immediately.
However, they failed in their bid to secure an agreement to release the hostages in return for an alleged payment of $2 million from the federal government.
Earlier this year on February 28, Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud confirmed that he planned to offer such an amnesty only for “young” pirates, although he gave no further details.
The monitoring group expressed concern about the lack of transparency of such negotiations and the vague tone taken by the president.
It said the steps that the president outlined could lead to a general amnesty for Somali pirates: “It is an oversimplification to limit a complex transnational organised crime to kingpins and young boys, even if it is a strategy for bringing accountability, prosecution and punishment to bear in a difficult situation.”
The group said it had also monitored developments in Puntland, whose maritime police force has been stepping up its engagement with incidents at sea.
It was the Puntland Maritime Police Force that rescued 22 seafarers on board the stranded Iceberg 1, which was seized by pirates and held for almost three years.
However, the report questioned what prompted the Puntland maritime police to intervene at last in December 2012 to free a vessel stranded less than a mile offshore since November 2011, and why the force had not tackled other hijacking cases.

C.H. Robinson CEO visits Chennai

Source: http://www.sagarsandesh.com/news/c-h-robinson-ceo-visits-chennai/

As part of his extensive Asia tour, leading global logistics services provider and freight forwarder C.H. Robinson Worldwide Chairman and CEO John Wiehoff visited India on Oct. 2.
Accompanied by Mr. Stephane Rambaud, former CEO of Chicago-based freight forwarder Phoenix International and now Senior Vice President in CHRW, Mr. Wiehoff met the company’s local representatives in the region and discussed the developments in logistics and freight forwarding sector in the country.
It may be noted here that CHRW had acquired Phoenix International a few months ago and the process of systematic merger is happening now.
In an interactive meeting organized in honour of the visiting dignitaries, Mr. T. J. Srinivasaraj, Managing Director –South Asia, CHRW, welcomed the guests and explained the status of the freight forwarding industry in the region.
He also took the opportunity to congratulate the representatives of CHRW, who have gathered in Chennai from different parts of the country as well as from Sri Lanka, for maintaining the growth story of the company in positive trajectory year after year.
Addressing the employees, Mr. John said that he was visiting India for a couple of simple reasons. “We are here to understand what is happening in India as well as to meet the team in the region,” he added.
Speaking about the latest acquisition of Phoenix International, where it gave CHRW a strategic presence in the global freight forwarding in Asian region, Mr. John stated: “I am really excited for the merger of Phoenix with CHRW.” 
He also expressed happiness on the progress of systematic integration by CHRW with Phoenix.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Stephane pointed out that the main objective of their visit to Asia, particularly to India, was to see how the integration and merger of both CHRW and Phoenix happening.
Besides, our trip was meant to motivate the workforce in the region to achieve sustained growth in market share for the company as well to broaden portfolio, he pointed out.

Founded in 1905, C.H. Robinson is one of the world’s largest third party logistics (3PL) providers, with 2012 gross revenues of $11.4 billion. The company provides freight transportation and logistics, outsource solutions, produce sourcing and information services to over 42, 000 customers through a network of offices in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
To meet their customers’ freight needs, they provide access to over 56, 000 transportation providers worldwide, including contract motor carriers, railroads, air freight carriers and ocean carriers.

Nestle starts export of food products through New Mangalore Port

Source:http://www.sagarsandesh.com/news/nestle-starts-export-of-food-products-through-nmpt/

With the export of Nestle products like Maggi Noodles and sauces by M/s Nestle India Ltd, New Mangalore Port, the fast emerging port in West Coast, is witnessing a steady increase in movement of diversified cargoes.

According to official sources, Nestle India, which commenced routing its export shipments of Maggi Noodles and sauces through New Mangalore Port, exported Maggie noodles of 11 containers to UK and two boxes to Australia and six containers of Sauces (Ketchup) to Canada in two vessels – M.V. EXPRESS YAMUNA AND M.V. TIGER MANGO which called at the port in the last week of September.

The representative of Nestle India while visiting the port has complimented the port’s infrastructure, cleanness and pro-trade attitude of the management.

While assuring their regular volumes through the port, the representative has given indication of routing their coffee specialty products manufactured at their plants at Nanjangud and Mysore which hitherto was being moved through other ports.

The container traffic at NMPT is showing upward trend during the first half of the current year also. As on date the port (in first half) handled 25, 053 TEUs as against 23, 964 TEUs handled during the corresponding period of previous year with a growth rate of 4.54 per cent.

Dr. P. Tamilvanan, Chairman, New Mangalore Port Trust, while attributing the movement of more cargo from the hinterland to business initiative made by the port over the years at the hinterland, has thanked Mr. Tapan Barua, Manager (Logistics) of M/s Nestle India Ltd, and Mr. Jeethan (M/s Cargolinks), Logistic Provider and CHA, for routing the Nestle cargo through New Mangalore Port.

Govt apathy has driven EXIM players to neighbouring ports

Source: http://www.sagarsandesh.com/news/govt-apathy-has-driven-exim-players-to-neighbouring-ports/

In a scathing attack on different Chambers of Commerce in Tamil Nadu for failing to persuade the State Government on the early resumption of Rs. 1, 815-crore Chennai Port – Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway, the Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) has asked the trade bodies to take up the case in all earnestness so that the project could see the light of the day.

Addressing a gathering of representatives from different Chambers of Commerce during the annual session of Hindustan Chamber of Commerce in the City on Sept 30, Mr. M. Rafeeque Ahmed, President of FIEO and Chairman of Farida Group, a leading leather and leather footwear exporters in India, said: “Why different Chambers of Commerce are keeping a stoic silence on the stalled road-connectivity project. Every time I travel on the road from Ambur to Chennai, I used to see the fate of the now-stopped Chennai Port – Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway in sorrow.”

He added: “Though the project was stalled more than a year now, not a single trade body, which is basically meant to secure interest of EXIM community in the region with the authorities, even tried to persuade the Tamil Nadu Government on the importance of the project for the growth of trade till now.”

“If we can’t take up the issue with the State Government, which is affecting the entire EXIM fraternity in the region, who else can take it up,” Mr. Rafeeque Ahmed questioned.

Trade bodies should take steps to persuade the State Government to resume the stalled project by explaining it as well as convincing the authorities about the other advantages like end of traffic snarls inside the City when the project is completed, added the FIEO President.

It may be noted here that the inordinate delay in completing the all-important road connectivity project, which was primarily conceived as a permanent solution to growing congestion of heavy vehicles plying between Chennai Port and the outskirts of the City via Chennai’s arterial roads, has forced the regional EXIM players to seek refuge in neighbouring ports for their need.

Mr. Rafeeque also gave an example of Shanghai City in China, which had faced similar traffic congestion like Chennai and subsequent construction of an elevated bridge, similar to the one proposed here, had helped the Chinese City to overcome the traffic snarls once for all. He also said that the early commissioning of the Elevated Expressway would help both the traders of import and export as well as the State Government.

While seamless movement of cargo would increase revenue for Chennai Port, it would also help the manufacturing sector in the State to fully rely on the oldest port for their raw material requirements.

MHI Receives Order from JAMSTEC for Wide-area Seabed Research Vessel

Source:http://www.mhi.co.jp

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has received an order for construction of a wide-area seabed research vessel from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), and an agreement has been signed.
The vessel on order will efficiently advance wide-area research into seafloor resources, its comprehensive research capabilities to include elucidation of mineral and ore deposit origins and formation conditions, and will also enable contributions to disaster prevention research. Construction is to get under way at MHI's Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture within the current fiscal year, with completion scheduled for March 2016.

The wide-area seabed research vessel on order will be approximately 100 meters (m) in length and 19m in width, with gross tonnage near 5,500 tons. To efficiently conduct survey research of ocean floor resources, it will be capable of operating such state-of-the-art equipment as a seismic research system for investigating crustal structure, large piston corers and a seafloor-mounted excavator for collecting seabed samples, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Sea speed will be approximately 12 knots, with a crew capacity of 65.
The vessel on order will also be outfitted with a marine research laboratory enabling swift analysis of collected samples without any time-lag deterioration.
Selection of the shipyard was made through an open proposal submission process. MHI was initially included among the pool of candidates in recognition of its technological strengths, and ultimately chosen by JAMSTEC to construct its new research vessel.
In recent years MHI has constructed a number of cutting-edge research vessels. Among them are the Shinsei Maru, delivered to JAMSTEC for studying the marine ecosystem off the coast of Tohoku in northeast Honshu, and the Hakurei, delivered to Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) to study marine resources.
Going forward, through construction of the research vessel newly ordered by JAMSTEC MHI looks to contribute to research into Japan's marine resources. The company also intends to leverage the technological strengths to be cultivated through the vessel's construction and apply them to proactive initiatives to attract further orders for research vessels.