Central Government News

On Wednesday, Pakistani forces stopped an attack by militants with gunfire and bombs near the port of Gwadar, killing eight attackers and two soldiers.China has invested in the province of Balochistan, focusing on Gwadar and its resources.The militants used guns and bombs to attack a complex near the port, which holds government offices and forces, as per Saeed Ahmed Umrani, a government official.After setting off bombs, the militants fought and tried to enter the complex, according…

Pakistani security forces on Wednesday repulsed a gun and bomb attack by militants on a complex outside the strategic port of Gwadar, which killed all eight militants and two soldiers, officials said.China has invested heavily in the mineral-rich southwestern province of Balochistan, including developing Gwadar, despite a decades-long separatist insurgency.Armed with guns and bombs, the militants stormed the complex just outside the port that houses offices of government departments…

At least two vessels carrying Australian coal have arrived in China for the first time since an unofficial ban on imports was introduced more than two years ago, and several more are on the way, shiptracking data showed. The cargoes are being closely monitored by coal traders as they are keen to see how smooth Chinese customs procedures will be.China last month, in a partial easing of the import ban, granted permission to just four central-government owned firms to bring in Australian coal. Tiger East, a dry bulk vessel loading some 73,300 tonnes of Australian thermal coal from Queensland, is discharging at the southern Chinese city of Taishan…

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, ended a six-session losing streak on Monday, as an uptick in capesize rates outweighed losses in panamax and supramax segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, and supramax shipping vessels, edged up nine points, or 0.8%, to 1,139.The capesize index gained 84 points, or 5.56%, to 1,596.Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport 150,000-tonne cargoes such as iron ore and coal, were up $694, at $13,237.China's state planner has allowed three c

The increasing need to secure energy supplies after easing COVID-19 restrictions has pushed China to gradually resume Australian coal imports and urge domestic miners to boost their already record output.The lifting of the unofficial ban on Australian coal imports, which were halted in 2020 in a fit of Chinese pique over questions on COVID's origins, is the clearest sign yet of the renewed ties between them. The resumption is also a reminder of their economic interdependence as Australia's raw materials play a crucial role in fuelling the export-oriented economy of China…

Norwegian coal mining company Store Norske is taking in vessels from Østensjø Rederi for one of the most ambitious environmental projects in Norway: the clean-up of the closed down Svea Nord longwall mine in Svlabard."When Svea Nord was closed in March 2020, a new camp was established at Kapp Amsterdam with associated functions such as workshop and power station. In August, the airport closes down, so we need vessels to transport to and from Longyearbyen. In addition, today's camp will be demolished…

A blockade of Sudan's main Red Sea port by a local tribal group and threats of more disruptions have hurt efforts to lift the country out of economic crisis and could push trade flows to another regional route, officials and shipping executives say.Several shipping firms were forced to pause bookings via Port Sudan, the African nation's main international trade gateway that generates vital revenue for the cash-strapped state that is trying to recover from three years of political turmoil.The port…

China's eastern port city Qingdao is experiencing the worst ever algae infestation in the region, with more than 1,700 square km of coastal area blanketed by harmful green seaweed, also known as "green tide." Qingdao has suffered from algae for 15 years. It normally appears from late spring and lasts for three to four months, damaging the local marine ecosystem as algae take oxygen from other organisms and churn out toxic odors while decaying. More than 1 million tonnes of algae are expected to be removed from coastal waters…

More than 30 crew members on an Italian cruise ship docked for repairs in Japan's Nagasaki prefecture have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising concern about the impact on the local community.The cluster of infections found on board the Costa Atlantica follows the case of the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama two months ago, where more than 700 were found to be infected, although this time only crew members were on board.The Costa Cruises-operated ship was taken into a shipyard in Nagasaki city…

The discovery of a submarine carrying 3,000 kg (3.3 tons) of cocaine off the coast of Spain marks a "historic" turning point in the battle against drug trafficking, Spanish authorities said on Wednesday.Police described it as the first "narcosubmarine" to be intercepted in Europe, adding in a statement that it had been found in waters off the northwestern region of Galicia on Saturday, stuffed with 152 neatly-wrapped bales of cocaine.The estimated street value of the drugs is 100 million euros ($110.22 million)…

RINA and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) have signed a Strategic Cooperation Agreement for some of the activities related to passenger ships building. RINA will provide technical advice to CSSC in accordance with RINA’s experience and expertise.The agreement, which has been conceived during the recent visit to Italy of President Xi Jinping for the signing of the Belt and Road Initiative agreements, was signed by RINA’s CEO, Ugo Salerno and Mr.Lei Fanpei, Chairman of CSSC, in Beijing.

At least 79 people died when an overloaded ferry carrying families on an outing sank in the Tigris river in Mosul in northern Iraq, medical sources told Reuters on Thursday.Most of the casualties on the ferry were women and children who could not swim, said the head of Mosul's Civil Defence Authority Husam Khalil.He said the ferry had been loaded to several times its capacity. "It can normally carry 50 people. There were 250 on board before the incident," he said.Five ferry workers were arrested after late on Thursday, security sources said. Rescue workers were still looking for missing passengers.The boat was ferrying people to a man-made island used as a recreational area by families…

Notwithstanding the tragic incidents of the Morandi Bridge collapse and October’s violent sea storm, cargo throughput remains stable at the Ports of Genoa, Italy.Now a key priority is the implementation of the emergency measures mobilised by Parliament to return to growth, said the busiest port of Italy by cargo tonnage.The collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa on 14 August 2018 and the damage wreaked by the violent sea storm on 29 October in the Port of Savona have had severe repercussions on the entire port cluster and are set to continue to have an impact  in the medium term.Within this framework, after a long period of growth, the Port of Genoa has suffered a slowdown in certain commodity sectors.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the first multi-modal terminal built on the river Ganga in Varanasi (Kashi). He also received India's first container vessel that sailed from Kolkata on the newly-developed inland waterway.The event marked India’s first inland voyage by a container ship since it gained independence from Britain 70 years ago. The first consignment contained cargo belonged to food and beverage giant PepsiCo India.The 1,390km (863 miles) Ganga watercourse is one of the 111 waterways spanning 20,276km that India is reviving or planning to build. The World Bank-assisted Ganga waterways project—costing  USD…

Indian Ports Association (IPA) has appointed Tech Mahindra as the Managed Service Provider for five major ports. This is the first such outsourcing deal in the major ports.Tech Mahindra will build and maintain an enterprise business system (EBS) to modernise and automate port processes at five Central government-owned port  at Mumbai ,Kolkata, Chennai, Deendayal Port  and Paradip Port Trust.This initiative is a major step towards integrating the maritime sector and fostering growth and development of major public sector ports in the country.Tech Mahindra is partnering with world class leading players like SAP, Envision, CISCO, Dell, RTCom and other major players.

India's Ministry of Shipping has undertaken a diverse set of initiatives as part of its drive to boost profitability across major Indian ports.One major initiative is to improve the returns earned on treasury investments by the ports for pension, provident and surplus funds. Across all major ports, these funds add up to around INR  33,000 crore (USD 4.8 billion), yielding interest of around INR 2,700 crore (USD 394 million)Looking for ways to push this amount further, the Ministry has realized an opportunity to improve returns by INR 150 crore (USD 22 million) or more through a strategic shift in its guidelines for provident and surplus funds.As per the most recent guidelines…

The United States has adopted an "escalate to negotiate" strategy towards China, threatening a dramatic hike in tariffs to try to force a resumption of trade talks while the U.S. economy remains strong and as elections approach in November.U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly rejected a plan to levy tariffs of 10 percent on an additional $200 billion of imports from China and ordered aides to prepare a proposal for tariffs at the higher rate of 25 percent.The levies are in addition to the tariffs on $34 billion of imports that have already gone into effect and the $16 billion of tariffs announced but not yet implemented.The administration's approach to China is the same one it has employed in dealing with North Korea…

China will encourage mergers and consolidations among central government-held shipping companies, the head of the state assets regulator said on Tuesday.Xiao Yaqing, chief of state-owned Asset Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) was speaking at a forum on the sidelines of China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.(Reporting by Tom Daly and Beijing Monitoring Desk, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

The Indian Ministry of Shipping has sanctioned Rs 25 Crore (USD 3.84mln) as Grants-in-aid to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and another Rs 50 Crore (USD 7.68mln) to the Government of Karnataka for Karwar Port, for developing their infrastructure, under the Coastal Berth Scheme of its flagship program Sagarmala. The Coastal Berth Scheme aims to provide financial support to ports or state governments for creation of infrastructure for movement of cargo and passenger by sea or national waterways. The admissible financial assistance from Central Government is 50% of the total cost of the project subject to: (i) a maximum of Rs 25 crore for projects relating to construction/up-gradation of coastal berths by Major/Non-Major Ports…

The Ministry of Shipping in India has taken up projects worth Rs 2,302 crore (USD 356million) for financial assistance under the Coastal Berth Scheme of the flagship Sagarmala Programme. The Ministry, after due appraisal in consultation with NITI Aayog and Department of Expenditure, has extended the period of the scheme for three years, upto 31st March, 2020 and expanded its scope to cover capital dredging at Major Ports and preparation of DPR for coastal berth project, in Oct 2017. The projects under Coastal Berth Scheme of the flagship Sagarmala Programme are distributed over eight states with the highest number of projects in Maharashtra (12 projects)…

Indian's  Union Cabinet has approved the incorporation of the official amendments to the Major Port Authorities Bill 2016, which is pending in the Parliament. The Amendments are based on the recommendations of the department related parliamentary standing committee. The changes sought include the number of the labour representatives to be appointed in the Port Authority Board among the serving employees of the Port has been increased from one to two, among others. The Board of each Major Port shall be entitled to create specific master plan in respect of any development or infrastructure established or proposed to be established within…

Li Ka-shing to retire after annual general meeting on May 10; will stay on as senior adviser to the group. Hong Kong's richest man, Li Ka-shing, announced his retirement as chairman of CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd on Friday, bringing to a close a rags-to-riches story that made him a hero in the freewheeling capitalist hub. Li, 89, will retire after the annual general meeting on May 10, the ports-to-telecoms conglomerate said in a filing to the Hong Kong bourse, passing the mantle to his eldest son Victor Li, who was named successor several years ago. While Hong Kong's adoration of Li Ka-shing and his story has waned somewhat in recent years, he is still stepping aside from one of Asia's most outward-looking empires, spanning more than 50 countries and 323,000 employees at last count.

Indian Union Minister of Shipping Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated the Inland ferry services in the port city of Vasco in Goa. In his keynote address, the Minister said that while addressing the needs of the poor, environment and ecosystem must be given its due priority. To achieve this, all the stakeholders need to make a concerted decision and action. Nitin Gadkari said, India has about seven thousand five hundred kilometres of seashore which can help the development of the country while giving tourism the much-required boost. Goa owes its emergence as a tourism state due to its coastal belt. The tourism sector has very high potential for Investment and employment generation. The Minister said, use of waterways is economical, environmental friendly; and needs better utilization.