The Hindu News

The death toll from the sinking of an overcrowded ferry carrying Hindu devotees in northern Bangladesh climbed to 50 on Monday, with many passengers missing a day after the disaster.Onlookers and relatives of the missing gathered along the riverbank as rescuers searched for bodies, witnesses said."I just want to see the face of my mother," Deepak Chandra Roy said, speaking through tears as he searched for his mother.

India's Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) has finalized Anadolu Shipyard (ADIK) Istanbul, Turkey, as their collaborator for construction of five Fleet Support Ships (FSS) for Indian Navy worth more than INR 160 bln (US$ 2.3 bln).The Istanbul-based shipyard is a member of TAIS group in Turkey and will support HSL in designing and assist in construction. HSL Chairman and Managing Director Rear Admiral LV Sarat Babu said that this will enable HSL to imbibe best ship building practices and modern technology — pre-outfitting, modular construction and zonal painting.Earlier, HSL had shelved the plan for forging a strategic partnership with…

A cyclone barrelled into eastern India on Friday, bringing down trees and power lines and "extensively" damaging the tourist town of Puri, but there were no early reports of casualties with a million people evacuated before it made landfall.Tropical Cyclone Fani, the strongest to hit India in five years, spent days building up power in the northern reaches of the Bay of Bengal before it struck the coast of the state of Odisha at around 8 a.m., the state-run India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.Howling winds gusting up to 200 kph (124 mph) whipsawed trees, uprooting scores, and driving rain impacted visibility, while streets were deserted in the state capital Bhubaneswar and Puri."Damage in Puri is extensive…

India has evacuated more than 300,000 people along its northeast coastline by boat, bus and train ahead of a severe cyclone due to make landfall on Friday, with many villagers piling household possessions on to trucks before fleeing their homes.Severe cyclonic storm Fani was churning up the Bay of Bengal about 320 km (198 miles) south-southwest of the Hindu temple town of Puri where special trains were put on to evacuate tourists and the beaches were empty.In total, about 1.2 million people are expected to be evacuated from low-lying areas of 15 districts in the eastern state of Odisha to cyclone shelters, schools and other buildings…

India's Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) has received a proposal from United Shipbuilding Corporation of Russia for a strategic partnership, The Hindu reported. The report said that the Russian shipyard will be placing orders worth INR 200bln (USD 3.1bln)  immediately. The move came up for discussion when Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board CEO J. Krishna Kishore recently met HSL Chairman and Managing Director Rear Admiral L.V. Sarat Babu. HSL was brought under the control of Ministry of Defence in February 2010 due to its strategic location in close vicinity of Eastern Naval Command headquarters and Naval Alternate Operational Base coming up at Rambilli, about 60 km from the city.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has given a ‘go ahead’ to Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)’s stalled LPG import terminal project at Puthuvypeen near Kochi in South India. A statement from IOC said that  NGT reaffirmed its previous order dated August 2, 2016, thereby removing the hurdles in resuming its prime infrastructure project in the State. The project work has been stalled since February 15 due to protests, alleging that IOC is violating NGT order. IOC's project was to construct a LPG Import Terminal of six lakh tonne capacity a year at Kochi in Puthuvypeen SEZ of Cochin Port Trust. A report in the Hindu quoted PS Mony, General Manager and State Head…

Maersk Line said that the growth of EXIM container trade of India in the current year is likely to be in two digits. The export-import container trade volume of India grew by 10% for the full year 2016, which was double of 2015, that too amid weak global trade. In 2017, the growth is likely to be in two digits provided that India maintains its growth in markets like the Middle East, Latin America and East Africa, enhancing its client portfolio and diversifying the risks, said Maersk in its 2016 Annual India Trade Report. Maersk Line believes, that with the right policy initiatives India can continue to grow and improve its position in the global trade, delivering double-digit growth in 2017.

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited has approached the Indian Navy with a repeat order for three Scorpene-class submarines, reports The Hindu Businessline. The leading shipyard of the country has  French shipbuilder DCNS as its technology partner for the Scorpene submarines. Like the first six Scorpenes, the three new submarines would also be manufactured at the Mumbai site, and would be equipped with a new anaerobic propulsion system (AIP) developed by the DRDO. The report says that six Scorpene submarines were ordered in 2005, and are being built at the state-owned Mazagaon Docks (MDL) in Mumbai, with technical assistance and transfer of technology as well as equipment from DCNS.

Container Corporation of India (Concor) has  formed a consortium with APM Terminals B.V., John Keells Holdings and Maersk Line in order to bid for the development of East Container Terminal in Colombo, reports Hindu Business Line. The total project value is likely to be about $550-600 million. The Colombo Port currently has four container terminals. In 2008, a new harbour basin, the Colombo South Harbour was developed to accommodate deep draft vessels and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) decided to develop four new terminals, each with a capacity of 2.4 million TEU’s (twenty-foot container equivalent unit - a measure used in container shipping) to cater to increasing demand.

The Cochin shipyard Ltd (CSL) has plans to develop a major hub of LNG-based ship building and repair facility that would generate about 3, 000 jobs in the State of Kerala, the Hindu quotes Madhu S. Nair, Chairman and Managing Director of Cochin Shipyard Ltd, as saying. Madhu said that the Indian maritime industry has been lagging behind the global trends due to lack of maritime engineering policies adopted by the sector. He said the Cochin shipyard is keenly looking forward to transforming into a viable ship repair centre. He called on the Department of Ship Technology at Cochin University of Science and Technology alumni and the future…

Maersk Training, part of the Denmark based A.P. Moller-Maersk, is betting on the Indian training centre, reports the Hindu. India is one of the 10 Centre’s that is making profits. "While other Maersk training centres are facing issues due to downturn in maritime and oil and gas sectors, India is doing a good job by balancing it. We are ready to provide them a helping hand so that they can tap into global talent pool of trainers to get information, knowledge and content to offer high end and niche courses in oil and gas sector," the Hindu qoted Claus Bihl, Maersk Training Chief Executive Officer as saying. Chennai-based Maersk Training India Pvt. Ltd. has recently received certification from the Logistics Skill Council.

India and Thailand are set to firm up cooperation to combat terrorism, and boost maritime security, defence ties and trade during Thai Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha’s maiden visit to India, reports PTI. Prayut has earlier said that maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean would be put on the table for talks with his Indian counterpart. The expected cooperation will include military exercises, information exchange and operations to eradicate terrorism and piracy, he said. India’s Vice-President Hamid Ansari told the leadership of Thailand that India-Thailand collaboration is necessary to ensure freedom of navigation and connectivity in the Southeast Asian region, says the South Indian news paper Hindu.

The Chennai Port Trust has signed a fresh memorandum of understanding with the Port of Zeebrugge (Belgium), reports the Hindu. "Belgium is working towards getting an agreement between the ports of Zeebrugge in Belgium and the port of Chennai as part of its efforts to take part in the development of Indian ports," Joren Vandeweyer, spokesperson for the Belgian secretary of state for Foreign Trade, Pieter De Crem said. “Zeebrugge had an agreement with the Chennai port earlier. We want to strengthen the relations between our ports. We can tie up in the fields of technical assistance, management of ports, developing of a port and so on,” Joren added.

Underscoring that India and Brunei have equal stakes in the security and prosperity of a "shared Asian neighbourhood", both countries held discussion on Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea which has the potential to affect free maritime traffic in Southeast Asia, reports the Hindu. Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari said that both the countries have an interest in maintaining the safety of the sea-lanes in the region, after his discussion with Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and crown prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah. “Brunei briefed us on the negotiation under way for the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea. India supports a negotiated settlement of Brunei’s maritime dispute with China,” said Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East).

India has come “under pressure” from Iran to complete the Chabahar Port project, with the lifting of Iranian trade sanctions, reports Hindu Business Line. Acting strategically to China’s repeated attempts to wean away India from Chabahar Port upgradation, India is taking steps to firm up its bilateral negotiations and alliance with Iran. According to highly placed sources, both sides have also arrived at a deadline to complete the talks on LNG terminal. A top official, involved in the talks, has reportedly said that India is under pressure to complete the Chabahar project. It has to be done by the first half of this year. The first phase of the $31-billion Chabahar Port project involves construction and operation of two berths there.

LNG Bharat Private Ltd is setting up a floating LNG Floating Storage Unit (FSU) with a capacity of 5 million tonnes per annum at Krishnapatnam port in Nellore district the Hindu Businessline reports quoting J. Murthy, the Managing Director. The company had taken 120 acres of land from the port and leased a berth for setting up the terminal and a pipeline would also be laid from Krishnapatnam to Ennore in Tamil Nadu, via Sullurupeta and Sri City. The total project cost, including the terminal and the pipeline, would be Rs. 1400 crores, he said. If the construction commences in May 2016 (as planned), the terminal is expected to be commissioned by December 2017.

Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) may sell its bulk carrier under construction at the yard to the Indian Navy, reports the Hindu. Goodearth Maritime Limited (GML) has failed to settle its dues for nearly a year after placing the order under Diamond Series of 53,000 DWT bulk carriers. GML has defaulted in payment of nearly Rs.20 crore. Despite several reminders, they have not cleared the dues. The bulk carrier, on which HSL has completed 70 per cent of the work, is lying idle at the outfitting jetty blocking the space for undertaking other activities. HSL is now exploring the possibility of selling the bulk carrier the Navy, by involving GML. The latter has also evinced keen interest. HSL completed the delivery of four bulk carriers of 30,000 DWT under Trader Series in 2009 for GML.

Hindustan Shipyard Ltd., the largest shipbuilding enterprise under Indian Ministry of Defence, and world’s premier shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) are likely to undertake joint construction of self-propelled fleet support ships (FSS) for the Indian Navy, says a report in the Hindu. A high-level delegation from Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd has already inspected facilities at the Hindustan Shipyard Limited to explore the possibilities of cooperation. The team comprised…

Sri Lanka based shipping company- Herbilan Shipping Pvt Ltd is all set to launch Colombo-Vizag-Yangon (Myanmar)-Colombo service from September 1, reports the Hindu. “One of the main reasons for Herbilan Shipping to launch the service is to give direct connectivity with Yangon and Colombo as the first dedicated feeder in this route. At present there is no dedicated feeder in operation on this route,” said Herbi Silva. Herbilan Shipping is also planning to commence the second loop effective from October end on Colombo-Chennai-Yangon-Colombo and the thi-rd loop end of November, on Colombo-Yangon-Colombo-Navashiva-Colombo sector. Herbilan group chairman, Herbi Silva, director Jin Jinx-ian and CEO Ivan De Almeida are in Vizag to meet Vizag port officials, shipping agents and customers.

The port of Chabahar in southeast Iran is central to India's efforts to circumvent arch-rival Pakistan and open up a route to landlocked Afghanistan where it has developed close security ties and economic interests. According to a Reuter's report, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has asked India to invest in infrastructure projects worth $8 billion, including an expanded role in developing a strategic port that will open up access to Central Asia, Iran's envoy to New Delhi Gholamreza Ansari said. "The port of Chabahar in southeast Iran is central to India's efforts to circumvent arch-rival Pakistan and open up a route to landlocked Afghanistan where it has developed close security ties and economic interests,” Iran’s ambassador said.

The government is aggressively promoting the adoption of ‘Make in India’ campaign including the shipping and port sectors. The Ministry is aiming to raise cargo and passenger movement through waterways from the current five per cent to 30 per cent in the next 15 years. This means that there will be demand for more coastal ships, barges and passenger vessels, which would offer more opportunities to local shipyards. India plans to build seven ports by 2017, using 7.6 billion in public and private funds. A K Gupta, Chairman,  of Shipping Corporation (SCI) of India said SCI is strongly advocating the Idea of ‘Make in India’, and the company is strongly pitching for granting of First Right of Refusal privilege to Indian flag-cum-Indian built vessels.

Following the plunge in dry bulk freight market, shipping companies are banking on increased iron ore exports from Brazil to China and India to shore up freight rates, reports the Hindu Businessline. Hauling ore from Brazil to China will cost almost double than that from Australia. So in the current situation, ship-owners feel an increased flow of iron ore from Brazil, the world’s second largest producer, could boost the rates, as hauling the ore from there to China cost almost double than that from Australia. Brazil accounts for almost 25% of the global market share of iron ore’s trade volume. Brazil is home to one of the largest mining companies, Vale S.A.

In a fresh bid to make India an enduring strategic partner, U.S. President Barack Obama lands in New Delhi on Sunday for a highly symbolic parade and to nurture friendship with a prime minister who until last year was persona non grata in Washington. Obama will be the first U.S. president to attend India's Republic Day parade, a show of military might long associated with the anti-Americanism of the Cold War, and will host a radio show with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His presence at Monday's procession at Modi's personal invitation is the latest revival in a roller-coaster relationship between the two largest democracies that just a year ago was in tatters.