Chennai News

India and Russia will explore the possibility of using new transport corridors such as the Northern Sea Route and Eastern Maritime Corridor between Vladivostok and Chennai to widen maritime cooperation, the Indian government said on Wednesday.A decision to work towards this was made during a meeting between India's Ports, Shipping and Waterways minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, and Russia's Development of the Far East and Arctic minister, A.O.

Classification society the Indian Register of Shipping said it has opened a new office in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The premises were recently inaugurated and has been operational since February 1, 2022.Coimbatore is one of the most industrialized cities in Tamil Nadu with a diversified manufacturing sector including more than 25,000 small, medium and large-scale industries. IRS has serviced this region through its Cochin office in the past, however with increase in business opportunities…

Indian Oil Corp (IOC) , the country's top refiner, has loaded its first cargo of Iraq's newly introduced Basra Medium crude grade, according to ship-tracking data from Refinitiv Eikon and a source with knowledge of the matter.IOC loaded the cargo onto Minerva Kalypso, a Suezmax-sized vessel, which left Iraq's southern port of Basra on Jan. 4, the data showed.The ship is expected to arrive at Chennai port in southeastern India for IOC's subsidiary Chennai Petroleum Corp (CPCL) around Jan. 14.Iraq's state oil marketing company (SOMO) launched the new sour crude grade in January by splitting existing Basra Light production into two grades to provide better quality stability."From this year IOC will get all three grades - Basra Light…

Synergy Group and D.S. Norden have formed a new 50/50 joint venture to handle the technical management of Norden’s owned tanker vessels. Norden Synergy Ship Management (NSSM) will be headed by Henrik Christensen who previously managed Norden’s Technical Department.“We see great alignment when we have partnered previously and we expect that to lead to more mutual wins in the future through NSSM,” said Captain Rajesh Unni, CEO & Founder of Synergy Group.The formation of NSSM further cements the partnership between Synergy Group…

Customs officials at Chennai, one of India’s biggest ports, have held shipments originating from China for extra checks, sources aware of the delays told Reuters, amid a backlash against China over a border clash in which 20 Indian soldiers died.The increased scrutiny on shipments from China at Chennai Port, which handles various cargo including automobiles, auto components, fertilizers and petroleum products, could disrupt supply chains.While there is no official order from the government yet…

Norwegian technology enterprise Kongsberg Maritime announced that contracts have been signed for the sale of a HUGIN AUV System to the Indian National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), located in Chennai, India.According to a statement from Kongsberg Maritime India, the HUGIN AUV System ordered by NIOT is rated to a depth of 6,000 metres and will be equipped with a Kongsberg HISAS 1032 synthetic aperture sonar and EM2040 multibeam echosounder, designed for hydrographic and seabed classification applications.It will also carry a high-resolution colour still image camera, plus a range of environmental sensors for oceanographic surveys, including a magnetometer.

Doha-based liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer Qatargas has supplied a commissioning LNG cargo for India's newest LNG receiving terminal, Mundra.The cargo was loaded in Ras Laffan on 17 January 2020 on the Q-Flex LNG vessel, Murwab, with an overall cargo carrying capacity of 216,000 cubic meters. It arrived at Mundra terminal on 22 January 2020.Mundra is the second LNG terminal that Qatargas helped commission in India within the past year. It followed an earlier commissioning cargo which was delivered by the Company to the Ennore LNG receiving terminal, near the southern Indian city of Chennai, in February 2019.The Mundra terminal is located in Adani Ports and Special Economic zone in the Kutch district of the western Indian state of Gujarat.

State-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) said it has commenced delivery of Low Sulfur Furnace Oil (LSFO) for ships that is compliant with International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) mandate.The largest commercial oil company in India said in a press release that it commenced deliveries of LSFO with 0.5 per cent sulfur as marine fuel at ports in the country.The first such supply was made on 26th October 2019 to the LPG tanker Berlian Ekuator at Kandla port.ICO has made available LSFO 0.5% S grade marine fuel for immediate deliveries at Kandla and Kochi ports. Bunker fuel deliveries at other Indian ports Mumbai, Mangalore, Tuticorin, Chennai…

In the 2019 first half, 106,000 TEU - 20-ft standard containers - were handled in Hamburg on direct services with Indian ports, a gain of 17 percent. This brought India up into tenth place in Hamburg’s ranking of its trading partners for container transport.With Hapag Lloyd and its partner shipowners ONE, YML and COSCO offering an additional weekly sailing from Hamburg on the IEX - South-East India–Europe Express service from November onwards, the prospects for further growth are good.Ten liner services link the Port of Hamburg with India. Of these, four are container liner services, three are Ro-Ro services transporting vehicles, and three are general cargo services…

Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), the largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility in India, announced the Keel Laying ceremony of Marine Ambulance boats being built for the Department of Fisheries, Government of Kerala.Mrs. J Mercykutty Amma,  Minister of Fisheries, Government of Kerala did the honours in a function held at CSL.The formal start of construction of the first of the series of three marine ambulance boats was carried out in the presence of senior officials from State Fisheries Department, BPCL and Indian Register of Shipping. The directors and employees of CSL were also present during the ceremony. The Minister appreciated…

India has become the first country in the world to issue Bio-metric Seafarer Identity Document (BSID), capturing the facial bio-metric data of seafarers.Mansukh Mandaviya, the Minister of Shipping launched the project in New Delhi yesterday (August 28). He also handed over the new BSID cards to five Indian seafarers.The new facial biometric technology is a marked improvement over the two finger or iris based bio-metric data, with modern security features. It will make the identification of the SID holder more reliable and efficient, while protecting their dignity and privacy. India had made a presentation on this technology at International Labour Organization (ILO).Mandaviya said that the country is moving ahead rapidly under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Ocean Network Express (ONE)  announced the launch of a new direct service, the Indian Ocean Service 3 (IO3), which covers South East India, Mediterranean, and North Europe.The new product will offer new port coverage and boost reliability to a wider range of direct port call options to ONE’s valued customers, the Japanese container shipping company said in a press release.It will also further expand ONE’s already comprehensive service offerings and allow its clients to enjoy greater choice while bringing efficiency and additional values to the supply chain, the release added.The first sailing of the loop is now expected to start from…

India's navy has deployed two ships in the Gulf of Oman to ensure safe passage for Indian-flagged vessels, the country's defense ministry said late on Thursday, a week after two oil tankers were attacked in the region.The United States has blamed Iran for the attacks on a Norwegian-owned and a Japanese-owned tanker, raising concerns about further U.S.-Iranian confrontation. Tehran has denied the allegation.Indian naval ships named Chennai and Sunayna have been "deployed in the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf to undertake maritime security operations…

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), India’s largest private multi-port operator, reported a 41.45 percent surge in its consolidated net profit to INR 1,314.19 crore (USD 188.4million) for the quarter ended on March 31, 2019.However, its revenue fell 3.15 percent to INR 31 billion, said a stock exchange annoucement. Its coal volumes rose 30 percent year-on-year during the quarter, while the cargo volume increased 19 percent.The company also reported a record cargo throughput of 54 million metric tonnes in the three months ended March, according to the filing. Adani Ports in March had said it became the first Indian port operator to record a 200 MMT cargo movement.The Press Trust of India quoted Karan Adani…

GAC has handled the first tanker to berth at the newly constructed Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal inside Kamarajar Port, Ennore in Chennai, India. The Marshall Islands-flagged LNG carrier ‘LNG/C Golar Snow’ was carrying the first consignment of 78,037m³ of LNG from Ras Laffan in Qatar for the commissioning of the terminal.Agency operations were overseen by Captain Srinivasan Sethumadhavan, General Manager of Shipping Services at GAC’s Chennai Office, who is optimistic about…

Qatargas, the world’s largest LNG producer, supplied a commissioning cargo for India’s Ennore LNG receiving terminal, near the southern Indian city of Chennai.The commissioning LNG cargo was delivered onboard the vessel ‘Golar Snow’ on 25th February 2019 by the Swiss commodity trader, Gunvor, to the state-owned Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), which owns and operates the five million tonnes per annum (MTPA) terminal. Qatargas sold the cargo Free On Board (FOB) basis to Gunvor.Ennore will be India’s fifth operational LNG terminal and the first LNG terminal on the East Coast of India. Once fully commissioned, Ennore will provide regasified LNG to anchor customers…

The largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility in India, Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) announced steel cutting ceremony of three marine ambulance boats  for the Department of Fisheries, government of Kerala State.The minister for fisheries in the state J. Mercykutty Amma expressed happiness at the effort taken by CSL in designing safe & stable vessels for the support of the fishing community in the State.CSL said that she complimented shipyard, Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Indian Revenue Service (IRS) & Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Chennai for their participation in ensuring for the first time that a…

South Asia's APM Terminals Inland Services, operator of port and integrated inland service networks, is helping set up solar power plants in deep pockets of India.The global terminal network company is providing tailor-made logistics solutions to help overcome transport, technical and procedural challenges.The company is now offering a new end-to-end solution for major solar projects, which includes receiving cargo at the sea-port, facilitating customs inspection and clearance, multi-modal transportation to reach these isolated areas and destuffing at the site.“Back in 2015, solar power was just beginning to catch everybody's attention and imports from China were picking up at a tremendous pace.

Major ports in India together handled 578.86 Million Tonnes (MT) of cargo during April-January 2019, representing a growth of 3.11 per cent, an official statement said.The major ports had handled 561.39 MT cargo in the corresponding period of previous fiscal, the Ministry of Shipping said in a statement."The major ports in India have recorded a growth of 3.11 per cent and together handled 578.86 MT of cargo during the period April to January, 2019 as against 561.39 MT handled during the corresponding period of previous year," it said.Deendayal (Kandla) Port handled highest volume of traffic of 94.55 mt with 16.33% share. It is followed by Paradip with 89.98 mt (15.54% share), JNPT with 58.6 mt (10.12% share), Visakhapatnam with 54.73 mt (9.45% share) and Kolkata (inc.

The major ports in India have recorded a growth of 3.77% and together handled 518.6 Million Tonnes of cargo during the period April to December, 2018 as against 499.7 Million Tonnes handled during the corresponding period of previous year.According to the press information bureau, govt of India, for the period from April- December 2018, Nine Ports Kolkata (incl. Haldia), Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Kamarajar, Chennai, Cochin, New Mangalore, JNPT and Deendayal have registered positive growth in traffic.The highest growth was registered by Kamarajar Port (18.38%), followed by Cochin (8.92%), Kolkata [inc. Haldia] (8.74%) Paradip (8.11%), and JNPT(7.39%). Kamarajar Port growth was mainly due to increase in traffic of Container (41.20%), Other Misc.

India’s 12 major ports witnessed a 4.83 per cent rise in cargo traffic at 461.21 million tonnes (MT) during April-November of the current fiscal, said the government.These state-run top ports had handled 439.96 MT cargo during the corresponding eight-month period of the last fiscal.For the period from April- November 2018, Nine Ports Kolkata (incl. Haldia), Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Kamarajar, Chennai, Cochin, New Mangalore, JNPT and Deendayal have registered positive growth in traffic.The highest growth was registered by Kamarajar Port (20.15%), followed by Cochin (11.73%), Paradip (9.73%), Kolkata [inc. Haldia] (8.52%) and Deendayal( 7.37%) Kamarajar Port growth was mainly due to increase in traffic of Container (19.8%)…

In the 1870 Jules Verne classic "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", underwater explorer Captain Nemo predicted the mining of the ocean floor's mineral bounty - zinc, iron, silver and gold.India is catching up with that only now, as it prepares to unearth treasures down below, aiming to boost its economy.The floor of the world's seas is scattered with vast beds of black potato-shaped polymetallic nodules comprising copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, iron and rare earth elements.These natural goodies are key to making modern gadgets…

India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued a draft scheme on wind turbines in India. Known as the ‘Indian Wind Turbine Certification Scheme’ (IWTCS), the draft has been prepared in consultation with the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), Chennai."The IWTCS is a consolidation of relevant National and International Standards (IS/IEC/IEEE), Technical Regulations and requirements issued by Central Electricity Authority (CEA), guidelines issued by MNRE and other international guidelines," said a government statement.The draft has also strived to incorporate various best practices from other countries to ensure the…