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Mumbai Port News

08 Aug 2019

CSL Launches 2 Ro Pax Vessels for IWAI

India's Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) has launched two Ro Pax vessels designed and built for Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).The vessels launched at present are the third and fourth vessels in the series of 10 vessels order from IWAI, said the largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility in India.Cochin Shipyard is building a total of 8 Nos. Ro Pax vessels and 2 Nos Ro-Ro vessels for Inland Waterways Authority of India.IWAI nominated CSL for the construction of these vessels, which will be operated in strategic locations in National Waterways 1&2. These vessels can accommodate around 200 passengers and will have 8 crews and can carry 2 trucks and 4 cars.

04 Mar 2019

DP World Asks Court to Halt Antitrust Probe at Mumbai Port

Dubai's DP World has asked an Indian court to halt an investigation into alleged antitrust violations at the country's largest container port in Mumbai, saying the regulator was seeking excessive information, a court document seen by Reuters showed.The Competition Commission of India (CCI) last year said it suspected antitrust violations by DP World and Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk at the terminals they operate at state-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT).The CCI's investigation followed a complaint by Singapore's PSA International Pte Ltd, which alleged that Maersk and DP World businesses created barriers to hinder the growth of PSA's terminal by colluding on certain charges they levy at JNPT.In December, a Mumbai high court declined a DP World plea to quash the investigation.

20 Nov 2018

India to Probe Alleged Antitrust Behavior by Maersk, DP World at Mumbai Port

India's antitrust regulator has ordered a probe into alleged anti-competitive practices by Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk and Dubai's DP World at the terminals they operate at the country's largest container port in Mumbai, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.The decision by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to investigate follows a complaint by Singapore's PSA International Pte Ltd, which alleged that Maersk and DP World created entry barriers to hinder the growth of PSA's terminal by colluding on certain charges they levy at the state-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT).Handling 66 million tonnes of cargo in the last fiscal year to March, JNPT is critical to India's international trade.

30 Sep 2018

Tech Mahindra to Manage Indian Ports

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.

31 Jul 2018

India Issues New Guidelines for Investment in Ports

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 guidelinesā€¦

19 Jul 2018

India Rolls-out SOPs for Cruise and Ferry Services

The Government of India has formulated new guidelines in the form of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to handle cruise vessels and cruise passengers in November, 2017.The salient features of these SOPs inter alia includes submission of documents/data electronically, seamless entry and exit process with access control and RFID for vehicles and persons and simplified Port Health Organization Clearance Procedure. It further provides for e-Landing card for shore excursion, doing away with face to face checks except at the first port of entry and last port of exit and allowing carrying of valid photo I-card for Indian cruise passenger on domestic leg instead of the passport.The five major ports i.e Mumbai Portā€¦

19 Mar 2018

Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals Enhances Connectivity

Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals Private Limited (BMCT) continued to improve connectivity and ease of doing business for JNPT (Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust) users with its first barge and train volumes last week. A 90-TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) block train departed for Mandideep on 13 March 2018, while a second train left for Nagpur on 16 March. Both trains were operated by Container Corporation of India (Concor). On 18 March, there were both barge and rail movements as Shahi Shippingā€™s ā€œRoyal Hugliā€ barge loaded 75 TEUs at BMCT for the short marine transit to Mumbai Port Trust; while an export train operated by Concor arrived from Boisar, carrying containers for other terminals in JNPT.

08 Feb 2018

India Exempts Biometric Enrolment to Promote Cruise Tourism

In order to promote cruise tourism in the country the Government of India has exempted cruise tourists arriving with e-visa from the requirement of biometric enrolment for the major ports, said Union Minister of State for Shipping  Pon. Radhakrishnan. The exemption will be in effect in the ports of Mumbai, Cochin, Chennai, Mormugao and New Mangalore for a period of three years till 31st December, 2020. The Government has also taken steps for customer-friendly and hassle-free immigration regime for cruise passengers such as implementation of e-visa and e-Landing cards at the five ports. The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to handle cruise vessels and cruise passengers have been revised in Novemberā€¦

31 Jan 2018

India Launches Third Scorpene Submarine 'Karanj'

The Indian Navyā€™s third state-of-the-art Scorpene class submarine, INS Karanj, was launched by Reena Lanba, wife of Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba, , at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai. This historic event reaffirms the giant strides taken by MDL in the ongoing ā€˜Make In Indiaā€™ programme, which is being actively implemented by the Department of Defence Production (MoD). The new submarine is named after the earlier Kalvari class INS Karanj, which was decommissioned in 2003. The submarine was then towed to Mumbai Port Trust, for separation from the pontoon. Karanj will now undergo rigorous trials and tests, both in harbour and at sea before it is commissioned into the Navy.

02 Jan 2018

Maharashtra to Modernize Ports

The Indian Government has taken steps to expand and modernise the posts in the state of Maharashtra. The Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh L Mandaviya has informed that at present, there are two major ports and 48 minor ports (non-major ports) in Maharashtra. Both the major ports in Maharashtra, Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port are equipped with modern facilities. The infrastructure augmentation & modernization of Major Port is a continual process. Out of the 48 minor ports, which are under the administrative control of Government of Maharashtra, 10 are equipped with modern facilities such as conveyor belts/cranes etc. and 6 are barge ports. Remaining minor ports are ā€œPort Limitsā€ where no cargo is handled and are used for fishing vessels and ferry services only.

08 Aug 2017

India Unveils Road Map for Cruise Operations

The Shipping and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that the Indian government is committed to creating the right environment for promoting cruise tourism in the country. Speaking at Dawn of Cruise Tourism in India - an international conference organized by the Shipping Ministry at Mumbai Port today, he said that India has a huge potential of hosting nearly 40 lakh cruise tourists. Given the right impetus, the number of tourist ships visiting India can go up from the present 158 to about 955 per year. The Union Minister expressed confidence that the cruise tourism sector would be a game-changer for domestic as well as international travellers.

31 May 2017

Nitin Gadkari Lays Foundation of USD 173 mln Projects at Mumbai Port

To boost port infrastructure, Indian Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari laid foundation stone of eight connectivity projects worth Rs 1,117.03 crore  (USD 173 mln ) at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Mumbai. The projects include integrated common rail yard facility at JNPT, construction of coastal berth, and restructuring of yard behind shallow water berth, the Ministry of Shipping said in a release. All these projects will enhance connectivity of the hinterland   to JNPT. Port Connectivity is among the four pillars of Ministry of Shippingā€™s flagship Sagarmala programme. Speaking on the occasion Shri Gadkari said huge investments are expected under the Sagarmala programme, which will lead to better infrastructure and creation of new jobs besides giving  a big push to Indian exports.

12 Apr 2017

Indian Ports Register 6.79% Growth in Traffic

The twelve major ports under the Ministry of Shipping, India handled a record 647.43 MT of traffic in 2016-17, registering an annual growth rate of 6.79 percent, as against 4.32 percent last year. With this, these ports have out- performed private ports for the second consecutive year. The private ports have registered a traffic growth rate of 4 percent this year. The top position in cargo handling was retained by Kandla Port that handled 105.44 Million Tonnes of cargo, registering a growth of 5.39% over last year. This was followed by Paradip Port with 88.95 Million Tonnes of cargo handled, and an impressive growth rate of 16.45%. Mumbaiā€¦

01 Feb 2017

Indian Ports to Go Green

The Indian Ministry of Shipping, as a part of its ā€˜Green Port Initiativeā€™ has been emphasizing on use of renewable sources of energy to power Major Ports across the nation. The Ministry aims to set up 91.50 MW of solar energy capacity at the twelve Major Ports and 45 MW of wind energy capacity by the two Major Ports of Kandla and V. O. Chidambaranar. Major Ports have started the process of setting-up renewable energy projects by investing Rs.704.52 crores ($ 104 million) in these projects. When completed, these renewable energy projects will help in the reduction of carbon dioxide emission by 136,500 MT annually. These projects will also help to reduce cost of power purchased by utilization of renewable energy for power generationā€¦

27 Dec 2016

MANSA opposes MbPT's Revision of Ship Agents' Bank Guarantee

Mumbai and Nhava Sheva Ship Agents Association (MANSA) has requested the Mumbai Port Trust to re-consider the proposed bank guarantee amount levied on vessels calling at the port. In a letter addressed to the Mumbai Port Trust, MANSA said, ā€œThe time given for introducing this change may be extended till January 2017 end in view of the prevailing state of the banking to cope with work of demonetization and after effect. Earlier, Mumbai Port Trust in its circular dated December 14, 2016 had proposed to revise bank guarantee to be submitted by vessel agents at Rs 15 lakhs for foreign going vessels, Rs 5 lakhs for coastal vessels and Rs 2 lakh for container vessels, effective December 31 with a validity period of three years.

29 Nov 2016

Workers Shortage at Mumbai Port Affecting Vessel Operation

Mumbai and Nhava Sheva Ship Agents Association has drawn the attention of Mumbai Port Trust towards the shortage of dock workers and winch drivers that continues to adversely affects the vessel operations and if need be to outsource these activities. Shortage of workers at the port has been instrumental in prolonging the vessel stay at the port affecting the turnaround time to 4-5 days from around 2-3 days, thereby escalating the costs. As against the normal requirement of 4/5 gangs (workers) per vessel, the supply is only of 1/2 gangs. In fact, the port had invited applications for awarding stevedoring licenses to the private operators in light of the heavy shortage of labour, but the progress of this initiative is yet to be ascertained.

17 Nov 2016

Mumbai Port Trust Proposes to Develop Land and Waterfront

Mumbai Port proposes to develop its land and water front. It has about 752 HA of land in Mumbai city and its nearby areas. Out of this about 200 HA are used for port operations. About 500 HA of land is proposed to be developed with a mix of port operations, business, office, commercial, retail, entertainment, community projects and convention centres, etc. The proposed projects would also include renewable energy and waste water recycling, creation of spaces for community recreation and engagements, maritime museum, marinas etc. Mumbai Port has already invited global tender from eligible national/international consulting firms for ā€œAppointment of Consultant for Planning, Design and Program Management Support for Master Planning and Infrastructure Design of the Mumbai Portā€.

29 Oct 2016

Mumbai Port Trust Plans Luxury Cruise Terminal

The Mumbai Port, one of the oldest in India, will be investing Rs 225 crore ($33.68) to build a modern passenger terminal that can cater to cruise ships, reports PTI. "We have identified cruise shipping as a focus area, which can help the city as well. We will soon be floating tenders for a passenger terminal which will be built on a PPP model," Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) chairman Sanjay Bhatia said. Work on the terminal, which will resemble an airport and have the capacity to handle thousands of passengers disembarking from a single ship, will be over in next two years, he said. Meanwhile, the ministry of shipping has appointed an international consultant ā€” Bermello Ajamil & Partners ā€” to prepare an economically viable plan to develop coastal and inland cruise ports in the country.

20 Oct 2016

Cargo Traffic Handled by Indian Ports Increases by 5.2 % for H1

The Major Ports in India handled 315.4 MT (Million Tonnes) of cargo during the first six months of FY 2016-17 (April-September) and showed a positive growth of 5.1 percent as compared to the same period last year. The cargo traffic handled by the Major Ports during the same period last year was 299.5 MT. This improvement of performance is the result of many measures initiated by the Ministry of Shipping to improve the performance of the ports. These include mechanization  of the terminals, improving the TAT (turn-around time), quick evacuation of cargo, expansion of infrastructure and skill development of employees. The slew of measures taken by the Ministry of Shipping to improve performance of Ports has started to yield positive results.

10 Sep 2016

Govt Asks Mumbai Port to Compete with Private Ports

Mumbai Port Trust needs to bring about administrative reforms to develop ability to compete with the private ports, said Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport & Highways, Chemicals & Fertilizers, Mansukh L. Mandaviya on an inspection visit to Mumbai Port Trust. He further expressed a need for the port to have a clear vision and road map for development for next ten to twenty years and appealed to all the stakeholders to work in this direction. The Minister held a meeting with the Deputy Chairman and the Heads of Departments and reviewed the functioning of the Mumbai Port in all its scope and ambit. While reviewing the existing and the future projects undertaken by the Portā€¦

05 Sep 2016

Mumbai Port's Container Terminal to handle Dry Bulk Cargo

Mumbai Port Trust has allowed berthing of dry bulk cargo vessel at its OCT (Offshore Container) Terminal on trial basis following persuasion by members of Mumbai and Nhava Sheva Ship Agents Association to overcome congestion. The two vessels that were allowed to berth at the OCT Terminal were MV Julia Oldendroff and MV Interlink Fidelity. Welcoming the initiative by Mumbai Port to allow berthing of dry bulk vessels at the OCT Terminal, Captain Vivek Anand, President, MANSA said, ā€œWe appreciate the approach by Mumbai Port for taking a pro-active step towards ease of doing business. It may be recalled that in December last year, MANSA had sought berthing facilities at the Offshore Container Terminal for higher dimensional vessels carrying large parcels of pulses, steel and general cargo.

24 May 2016

Mumbai Port to Revamp Int'l Cruise Terminal

Mumbai, May 23, 2016: Mumbai has a real opportunity to be developed as an international cruise terminal, said Mr. Sanjay Bhatia, Chairman MbPT at a day-long conference organized by the Urban Development Committee of the Indian Merchantsā€™ Chamber (IMC) in association with Apli Mumbai titled ā€œMumbaiā€™s PortLands ā€“ from Vision to Actionā€ on 23 May 2016 at the BSE in Mumbai. Addressing the gathering Mr. Bhatia said that complete transparency in functioning and consultation with all stakeholders as well as coordination of all government bodies involved had to be maintained at all stages of the development of the Portlands. However, many issues pertaining to the ease of doing business also need to be simultaneously resolved.

14 May 2016

Salvage & Wreck Removal Conference Presents an Upbeat Mood

The verdict at the 5th India Marine Salvage and Wreck Removal Conference of Hinode held this time in Mumbai last week was clear and unanimous. The presentations as well as the deliberations highlighted an upbeat atmosphere indicating the growing prospects for salvors on the Indiaā€™s 7516 KM of coastline and in the surrounding area. The scenario depicts numerous options according to the presentations which brought out issues and insights that made prospects look bright in the coming months and with the monsoon round the corner, players could finally make it big. The introductory session underlined the fact that India became a signatory to International Convention of Wreck Removal Convention in 2010 and the convention has been in force from 14th April 2014.

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