Indian Port News

A Western-sanctioned vessel with Russian oil destined for Indian Oil Corp has had discharge of the cargo delayed at a port in eastern India due to a hold-up in online verification of insurance cover provided by a Russian insurer, three industry sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.India earlier this year tightened insurance rules for ships calling at its ports, focusing on old and so-called shadow fleet vessels often used to carry Russian oil.Aframax vessel Tiger 6…

Sanctioned vessel Noble Walker carrying Russian oil has changed course to India's Vadinar port after the country's Adani Group banned entry of blacklisted ships at its Mundra port, ship tracking data showed on Monday.The Noble Walker, carrying about a million barrels of Russian crude for Indian refiner HPCL Mittal Energy Ltd, was until Friday headed to Mundra, according to shipping reports and data from LSEG and Kpler.The vessel has been blacklisted by the European Union and Britain for breaching sanctions in transporting Russian oil.HMEL did not respond to a Reuters email seeking comment.

Three more Russian insurers, including a subsidiary of top lender Sberbank, have asked India for approval to provide marine insurance for oil shipments sent to Indian ports, two sources with knowledge of the matter said, as Moscow looks to maintain deliveries despite Western sanctions.India has already approved five insurers from Russia, which has no insurance firms in the International Group of P&I Clubs, which provides liability cover for personal injury or environmental clean…

An ageing tanker loaded with Russian oil that was barred by Indian authorities is transferring its cargo to a second ship to complete the delivery, according to two sources and ship tracking data.The Andaman Skies is transferring its cargo of crude oil to the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged vessel Ozanno, the sources said.While many buyers have shunned Russian oil since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, India and China have remained keen buyers. India is the biggest buyer of seaborne Russian crude…

Indian port authorities denied entry to an ageing tanker loaded with Russian crude on Thursday due to inadequate documentation, sources familiar with the matter said, an unusual move that indicates tightened scrutiny of vessels carrying Russian oil.India is the biggest buyer of seaborne Russian crude. Russian oil accounted for about 35% of overall crude imports in 2024 by India, the world's third biggest oil importer and consumer.The Tanzania-flagged Andaman Skies, carrying about 100…

The Baltic Exchange Sea Freight Index cooled its seven-day losing streak on Friday, bouncing back about 0.5%, and propelled primarily by larger sized vessels. Translation? “The ensuing performance of the Baltic Exchange Dry Index has, and should see a general increase in the supply of mid-sized (and smaller) dry (and even the occasional wet) units being offered into the ship recycling markets, as evident from both Bangladeshi and Indian port reports over recent weeks,” says cash buyer GPS.For ship recycling…

Russia's seaborne diesel and gasoil exports are expected to fall in August to the lowest since September 2023 at 2.7 million-2.8 million metric tons due to refinery maintenance and domestic fuel demand, LSEG and market sources data show.Russia's refinery runs in August were steady or slightly higher than in July, but diesel production is seen declining due to the overhaul of secondary refining units at several refineries, according to traders' data and Reuters calculations.Russian seaborne diesel loadings to Brazil could fall this month to the lowest since February 2023 at around 450…

Nearly 20,000 workers across major Indian ports, who had threatened to go on an indefinite strike from Wednesday, called off their walkout late on Tuesday, after agreeing to a new five-year deal.The agreement averted further issues in an already-strained global supply chain, which is struggling with higher freight costs and congestion at major Asian and European ports.The workers' unions agreed to an 8.5% pay increase over a period of five years, according to a document signed by union leaders…

India's shipping ministry will follow foreign ministry advice when deciding whether to allow a ship carrying Russian oil that has been placed under U.S. sanctions to berth at an Indian port, the country's shipping regulator said.The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on three maritime companies and three vessels owned by them for shipping Russian oil sold above a price cap imposed by the Group of Seven nations, as Washington seeks to close loopholes in the mechanism designed…

The Russian embassy in India said on Tuesday that it was aware of a Russian cargo ship in detention at the Indian port of Cochin."Russian Embassy in India is aware of the Russian cargo ship detention in the Indian port of Cochin, on board of which a military cargo for the Indian Armed Forces was delivered," Reuters partner ANI quoted the embassy as saying."The Embassy has sent to the Ministry of External Affairs of India an official request for explanation of the circumstances of the incident. We have also asked the Ministry to ensure unconditional observance of the rights of the Russian ship-owners and crew," ANI quoted the embassy as saying(Reuters - Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Only three weeks after launching, a relief fund established to help seafarers and the families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic has collected $530,000 in pledges to date, nearly $400,000 of which has already been allocated to help those worst affected.The Seafarers International Relief Fund (SIRF), set up by seafarer welfare charities and the wider shipping industry, said the first three SIRF grants were enabled through The Seafarers’ Charity’s agile and established grant making processes and will provide funds to three seafarer charities…

When Ritesh Mehra, 43, enlisted for a four-month stint as captain on a liquid gas tanker last July, he never expected to be stranded at sea until spring.“Twice it has happened that the ports are not allowing crew change,” Mehra told Reuters via Zoom from the bridge of the 80,000 tonne ship docked outside the Indian port of Haldia.“My family won’t trust me anymore. I have been giving them dates when I would come home from December.”Mehra, who has 20 years’ experience at sea, is also trying to buoy the spirits of his nervous crew of 23…

There is no real risk of a spill from a fully loaded supertanker that caught fire off the east coast of Sri Lanka, a senior official in the Indian Ocean nation's navy said on Friday.The fire that broke out in the engine room of the New Diamond on Thursday morning had spread to the bridge of the ship, carrying about 2 million barrels of oil, though it has not reached the cargo area, the Sri Lankan navy said.Director-General of Operations Rear-Admiral Y N Jayarathna told reporters it was the navy’s view that there was no real danger of a spill…

Sri Lanka began towing a fully loaded supertanker on fire off its east coast after it began drifting towards land, a spokesman for the navy of the Indian Ocean nation said on Friday.The fire was still raging on the New Diamond tanker carrying about 2 million barrels of oil, said the spokesman, Captain Indika de Silva. There were 23 crew on board, one of whom is presumed dead, while the rest have been rescued from the ship.There were no signs of an oil leak from the vessel, he added.

The technology group Wärtsilä will upgrade its Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) installed in the Indian port of Cochin, bringing additional benefits such as improved traffic monitoring and control.The system was originally delivered in 2008, and the order with Wärtsilä to upgrade the system was placed in February 2020 by the Cochin Port Trust (CoPT). The upgrading project is scheduled for completion by the end of July 2020.According to Wärtsilä, the upgraded VTMS will enable…

Afghanistan's first refrigerated cargo was exported to India through Shahid Beheshti Port of Chabahar.Sistan and Baluchistan Ports and Maritime Director General Behrouz Aghaei stated that Afghanistan's first refrigerated cargo containing refrigerated grapes was exported to Indian port of Jawaharlal Nehru Port through Shahid Beheshti Port of Chabahar.He added: "Chabahar Port’s main Refrigerated Container Site with the capacity of 150 Containers for unloading and Loading Refrigerated Goods is under construction. In the current conditions, Shahid Beheshti Port of Chabahar is equipped with a temporary refrigerator for storage of refrigerated cargo containers with a capacity of 160 Containers."Aghaei emphasized that In the near future…

The government of India has informed that 111 waterways are being developed in phased manner as National Waterways (NWs) in the country for the purpose of shipping and navigation.The Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya that various initiatives have been taken by the Government to increase the use of Inland Waterways and Coastal Shipping for greater cargo shipment.These include providing assured depth of water in the channels, navigation aids like GPS and River Information System, terminals at regular intervals, facilities for mechanized handling of cargo handling etc.The Minister also informed that cargo transportation on waterways rose to 72.31 Million Tonnes in the year 2018-19…

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…

India's largest container port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), has made its way to the top-30 container ports across the globe.JNPT notched up five spots as per the latest Lloyds Report, to be 28th on the list, compared to its previous ranking," Indian shipping ministry said in a statement.This is a validation of all the efforts and strategic initiatives being implemented at JNPT in order to enhance overall port efficiency, it said.Various new processes activated under the 'ease of doing business' initiative have not only helped in overall growth of the port business, but also allowed the EXIM (Export–Import) trade to save time and cost which in turn have accentuated the growth story…

Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT), Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Railways and state governments of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra will enter into a pact tomorrow for implementing a new Indore- Manmad Railway Line Project.The project will be implemented through Indian Port Rail Corporation Limited on joint venture special purpose vehicle (SPV) model."An MoU will be signed tomorrow between JNPT- Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Railways, Govt of Maharashtra and Govt of Madhya Pradesh for implementation of 362 km Indore- Manmad New Railway Line Project," the shipping ministry said in a statement.The project will reduce the distance from Mumbai/Pune to key central India locations by 171 kilometers.The project passes through the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor nodes Igatpuri…

German shipping company Oldendorff Carriers has conducted a new transshipment operation of coal between two vessels, in the deep, protected water of the Andaman Islands within the Bay of Bengal, India. The Andaman Islands are an Indian archipelago in the Bay of Bengal. There are roughly 300 islands, which are known for their palm-lined, white-sand beaches, mangroves and tropical rainforests. However, it was the deep and protected water that attracted Oldendorff Carriers to the Andaman Islands. "Our geared panamax Trina Oldendorff (75,053 tdw built 2013) loaded 73,086 mt of coking coal from Gladstone, Australia and sailed to the Andaman Islands," a statement said.

The Ministry of Shipping has re-rated the capacities of all berths across 12 Major Ports in order to benchmark port capacities with global standards as per Berthing Policy, 2016. The Re-rating exercise identified an additional capacity of 293MT available with the Major Ports. The effective rated capacity of 12 Major Ports is now 1,359 MT per annum and capacity at desired occupancy is 989 MT per annum. The effective rated capacity of Kandla Port is 246 MT, that is highest among Indian port, followed by 234 MT of Paradip Port. The re-rating exercise has been done in consultation with all Major Ports. The capacity utilization of berths in major ports is reviewed regularly.

The port of Antwerp is taking steps to further boost its name recognition in India, by expanding its network of local representatives and setting up the Port of Antwerp Alumni Association. On the occasion of the recent state visit to India by HM King Philippe of Belgium, three honorary representatives for North, South and West India were appointed by Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of Antwerp Port Authority, to support the port’s representative office in Mumbai. Further, the setting up of the Port of Antwerp Alumni Association (PA3), will give an additional boost to Antwerp’s reputation in India. The port of Antwerp has long had an active presence in India. Already in 2006 the Port Authority appointed a first full-time representative in the port city of Mumbai.