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News on Ports
Kolkata
Port to privatize five new berths at Haldia Dock Complex Kolkata
Port Trust (KPT), among the first major port to show a major privatization
initiative has planned to construct five berths at the Haldia
Dock Complex (HDC) on a build-own-transfer (BOT) basis. Accordingly,
the HDC has signed an agreement with International Seaports (India)
Private Limited, for construction of berth no 4A and set up another
five berths in the proposed second dock arm. The construction
of new berths is aimed at increasing the annual cargo handling
capacity of HDC from current 33 million tonnes to about 45 million
tonnes by 2007. As a part of the increasing privatization of port-related
services, Haldia Dock Complex had earlier signed a licence agreement
in January this year with TM International Logistics (India) Ltd.,
a consortium comprising TISCO and IQ Martrade of Germany for operation,
equipping, management and maintenance of berth no. 12.
Haldia
Dock shiploader is commissioned A new shiploader for handling
of coal has been set up at Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) and was formally
commissioned on June 8 by the Union Shipping Minister Mr. Vedprakash
Goyal. This is the first of two ship loaders developed by Larsen
& Toubro at the cost of Rs 4 crore each. The new shiploaders
will facilitate smooth coastal shipment of coal through HDC catering
to thermal power stations on the Southern coast.
Kakinada
Seaports signs up a deal with IOC Kakinada
Seaports Ltd. (KSL) has signed a two-year contract with Indian
Oil Corporation (IOC) for handling six million tones of crude
per year. KSL, which operates the deep-water port in Kakinada,
will handle crude oil cargo, which the IOC plans to import through
very large crude carriers (VLCCs) with capacities over 250,000
tonnes. The crude oil carried by VLCCs will be unloaded into daughter
vessels, through mid-sea transfers.
Plan
outlay for ports not fully utilized Against
an allocation of plane outlay of Rs. 960.18 crore, twelve major
ports in the country have together only utilized Rs. 495 crore
by end of fiscal 2000-01, as per the provisional data released
by the Union Ministry of Shipping. Delays in sancntioning of new
schemes, due to protracted procedures, contractual disputes and
deferment of schemes are among some of the major reasons for under-utilisation
of funds. Of the total amount utilized from the plan outlay, Chennai
Port Trust has used Rs. 143.03 crore, Vishakapatanam Port Trust
has used Rs.70 crore, Mumbai Port Trust has used Rs.64 crore,
Paradip Port Trust has utilixed Rs.54 crore and Kandla Port Trust
has utilized Rs. 48.83 crore. The provisional data released for
the last fiscal year also showed that the total net surplus of
11 eleven major ports (excuding the corporatised major port of
Ennore) stood at Rs. 291.41 crore.
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News on Shipping
War-risk
insurance premium on foreign-flagged vessels Amidst
uncertainties of Indo-Pak war, the London-based IPBCC Conference,
a syndicate of shipping lines operating between Europe and the
Sub-continent has issued the premium-notice on imposing 0.1 per
cent war-risk insurance premium on all foreign-flagged vessels
calling on ports located on the Western Indian coast.. The ports
to be affected by this additional insurance cost included Mumbai,
JN Port and Kandla, which together account for nearly 28 per cent
of the total export/import traffic handled at 11 major Indian
ports. The Lloyd’s Insurance Company has also included all
Indian ports situated North of 18 degrees longitude and West of
73 degrees East latitude in its risky destination list.
SCI
fleet to be strengthened by third quarter of 2002
The
Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) currently in the disinvestments
mode, will see on more vessels in its fleet by the third quarter
of 2002, going by the outstanding orders it has already placed
with shipyards. Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) is currently building
one crude oil tanker of 93,000 dwt for delivery later this year.
Three other 50-tonne bollard pull tugs are also expected to join
the fleet by end of the year. Among other vessels, for which orders
have been placed with overseas shipyards include four Aframax
tankers of 1,10,000 tankers of 1,10,000 dwt each from Hyundai
Heavy Industries Ltd. South Korea. Deliveries of two more vessels
Suezmax vessels of 1,46,860 dwt each are expected from Daewoo
Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, South Korea.
GE
Shipping board to meet on June 14 The
board of directors of Great Eastern Shipping Company Ltd is meeting
on June 14, 2002 to consider annual accounts for the year ended
March 31,2002, recommendation of dividend on equity shares, if
any to the members of the company and payment of interim dividend
on 8.50 per cent cumulative preference shares aggregating to Rs.
95 crore. Meanwhile, Crisil has reportedly assigned a 'AAA' rating
to the Rs 90- crore-NCD programme of GE Shipping Co. Ltd. The
outstanding ratings for the NCD and preference share programmes
of the company have also been reaffirmed. The ratings reflect
GE Shipping's favourable business profile, which emanates
from its considerable international operations, an established
client base and a diversified fleet. The Crisil report has noted
that these strengths, coupled with a proactive management and
a tight control on gearing levels, have helped the company to
sustain its profitability despite freight rate volatility
in the past.
Thai
ship collides with an Singapore oil tanker
A
Thai ship - MV Hermion has collided with a Singapore-registered
tanker Neptank V11 on June 12 and caused about 450 tonne of oil
spill about 4.5 kms south of Singapore. The collusion caused when
one of Neptank V11’s cargo tanks ruptured, following the
collusion spilling about 450 tonness of marine fuel oil into the
sea. Marine fuel oil is low quality fuel used to power ships.
The Singapore Port Authority, which is carrying out the pollution
control operations, has deployed 12 anti-pollution craft to clean
up the oil spill.
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News on Shipyards
Korean
yards commence building LNG ships Construction
of two ships to transport natural gas in the form of LNG from
West Asia to India have commenced at Daewoo Shipyard in South
Korea. The Union Petroleum Minister, Mr Ram Naik, flagged off
the commencement of the construction of the first liquefied
natural gas (LNG) ship for Petronet LNG Ltd, a joint venture of
public sector oil companies for import of natural gas, at the
shipyard. As per schedule, Daewoo would construct two LNG ships
for import of five million tonnes of LNG from Qatar beginning
in the first quarter of 2004. The delivery of the first ship,
named Disha', is expected in December 2003, while the second ship
is scheduled for delivery in December 2004. PLL, is also setting
up an LNG receiving terminal at Dahej in Gujarat with a capacity
of five m.t. per annum and plans to supply regassified LNG
through HBJ pipeline to Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar
Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana. The construction of LNG terminal
is in full swing and the mechanical completion is scheduled for
December 2003. The company has a sale purchase agreement with
RasGas of Qatar for supply of five m.t. of LNG on free-onboard
basis for 25 years.
News on Dredging
DCI
signs contract with Kolkata Port Dredging Corporation
of India (DCI) has signed a fresh maintenance-dredging contract
with Kolkata Port Trust for next five years, subject to a
review after two years. Under the terms of the contract, DCI
will dredge 18 million cubic metres of silt every year from
Hooghly river at an estimated cost of Rs.300 crore annually.
To execute the contract, the DCI proposes to deploy five of
its dredgers, of which four of the dredgers have been already
started operations, while fifth dredger will be is due to
arrive soon. The dredging work to be taken up by DCI is expected
to improve the depth of the river at Jelingham to five metres
to achieve a draft of more than nine metres.
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