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News on Ports
Mangalore
port opens up new facilities New
Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) has set up a new vessel traffic management
system (VTMS) at a cost of Rs.6.88 crore to improve safety and
reduce the risk of accidents. Bharat Electricals Ltd., Bangalore
in association with Japan radio Co, has put the system together.
The features of VTMS include an automatic identification system
by which all ships coming within port limits would be identified
without the necessity of making a communications link. With the
new system it would now be possible to navgate a ship from the
fairway buoy located at a distance of about eight km to the inner
harbour with the physical presence of a pilot on board. Other
features of the VTMS include radar sensor system and meteorological
and hydrological system, which is expected to reduce the pilotage
timing to the minimum. Along side VTMS, the NMPT has also launched
an new oil tanker jetty capable of accommodating tankers of a
size up to 85,000 dwt with a capacity to handle 7.9 million tonnes
of POL crude and products per annum.
New
box terminal planned at Vizag port Vizag
Container Terminal Ltd., the joint venture between JM Baxi &
Co Ltd., and Dubhai Port Authorities is setting up a deep-draught
container terminal at Vishakapatanam Port. JM Baxi holds 74 per
cent stake in Vizag Container, while the remaining 26 per cent
rests with Dubhai Port Authorities, with a combined equity stake
of Rs.55 crore. The proposed container terminal will have a draught
of 16.5 metres, which will make it the deepest port in India.
The new container terminal, which would be built on “ build,
operate and transfer” (BOT) basis, would be capable of handling
one million tones of containerized cargo every year. The total
cost setting up this new terminal is estimated to be Rs.200 crore
and will be commissioned by February 2003.
Ennore
Port emerges as a model corporatised port Ennore
Port Ltd., the first corporatised port in India, to have completed
one full year of operations has emerged as a role model of a efficient
port, showing maximum turnover with very minimal staff and large
scale investment with just minimal strategic funding. The port,
which employs just 15 persons including the chairman and managing
director, handled 100 vessels and five million tones of coal in
the first twelve months of operations. The EPL for 2001-02, has
earned Rs. 30.49 crore spending just just Rs.3.25 crore making
a operational surplus of Rs.27.34 crore. During 2002-03, the targets
for turnover are Rs.75.60 crore, operating surplus Rs. 68 crore
and coal handling of nine million tonnes. The port has planned
a investment of Rs. 1,350 crore investments planned during 2002-07,
with EPL contributing only Rs.350 crore, while rest of the amount
wiould come from port users, mostly from private sector. Amon
the major projects which have been initiated include a very large
crude carrier jetty for handling 9.5 million tones of crude oil
imports for CPCL, iron ore berth for handling 12-20 million tonnes,
a coal handling terminal to handle three million tonnes of coal
for users otherthan TNEB and an alongside jetty for handling three
million tones of POL, products and chemicals and an LNG jetty
handling 2.5 million tonne of LNG.
Second
round tender for Vallarpadam box terminal The
second round of tender bid for taking up the Vallarpadam transshipment
hub at Kochi is likely to be issued in July, once the proposal
is cleared at the forthcoming meeting of the Cabinet Committee
on Economic Affaires (CCEA). The five million tonne per anum capacity
Vallarpadam container terminal would come up as a private sector
project on Build-Own-Operate (BOT) basis and had earlier attracted
just one bid from P&O Ports (Australia) in 1998, which was
turned down by the government. At the time the initial tender
bid was made by P&O there were no clear-cut guidelines on
private sector participation in ports sector. Presently, the Infrastructure
Development Finance Company (IDFC) has proposed a new model to
be adopted for such projects, based on limited tendering route.
TMIL
takes over operations at Haldia and Paradip Ports Tata
Iron & Steel has withdrawn from port-related operations and
provisions of logistics services at Haldia and Paradip ports.
TM International Logistics Pvt. Ltd. (TMIL) a joint venture of
Tata Steel and Martrade & Holdings of Germany has taken over
operations. At both ports, Tata Steel has transferred its assets
as well as employees. The joint venture company acquired the berth
at Haldia port on a long-term lease early his year. TMIL has also
asked the Haldia port authorities to provide them with 50,000-sq.m
back-up area adjacent to the berth no. 12 of the dock. The dock
authorities have so far provided 15,000 sq.m adjacent to the berth.
Kerala
government to revive Vizhinjam port project The
Kerala government is seeking to revive the long pending proposal
for the development of Vizhinjam port near Thiruvanathapuram,
with steps being taken to conduct a technical feasibility study
on the project. Under the initiative, ICICI-Kinfra, a joint venture
between ICICI and Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development
Corporation has entered into tie-up with Tata Consultancy Services
(TCS) for conducting the study. The JV has already completed a
similar technical feasibility study on the development of Azhikal
port in Kannur district in association with Howai India Ltd. The
proposal is to develop the existing harbour at Vizhinjam into
a major commercial port on a build-own-operate (BOT) basis and
the project is estimated to cost Rs.800 crore in the first phase.
The Vizhinjam port is one of the five minor ports in Kerala identified
for development way back in 1995. It is considered to have the
potential to become a major container transshipment terminals
being close to international shipping route between UK, West Asia
and Far East.
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News on Shipping
Feeder
operators to start services on East Coast With
the commencement of the mainline service from Chennai to North
China ports, the feeder operators are reportedly planning to introduce
a service on the East Coast of India from Kolkata-Haldia-Chennai
and between Kolkata- Chittagong. The feeder service, which is
expected to commence in a couple of months, would eliminate the
need to carry the cargo to Columbo and avoidthe transshipment
cost, as also save on the transit time. The exportcargo from Kolkata
and nearby regions is being transshipped through Columbo port
due to non-availibility of feeder service. Major cargo items exported
from Kolkata and surrounding areas include newsprint, garments,
tea and rice to South-East Asan countries. As per available indications,
operators desirous of introducing such services include HRC Shipping
Ltd.,of Bangladesh for the Kolkata-Chittagong route and Transworld
Group of Companies for the Kolkata-Haldia-Chennai route. Shipping
Corporation of India (SCI) in consortium with other lines has
commenced a weekly container service from the Chennai port on
the East Coast of India to four ports in North China from June
16, including Dalian, Qingdao, Xingagng and Yantai. En route the
ships also cal on Kelang and Pasir Gudang in Malaysia along with
Singapore and Hong Kong.
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News on Logistics
Freight
subsidy for sugar exports
The
government has put in place the inland transport subsidy for sugar
exports, which is expectedto boost the export trade and help actual
volumes exported to touché 1 million tonne by end of the
season. As per the scheme, the government will provide reimbursement
of the expenses for transporting sugar from mill to port town
and another Rs. 1.30 per tonne for taking sugar from port town
railway station to actual port. Exporters also have the option
to transport sugar by road in which case they will be reimbursed
either the rail or road freight whichever is less. A major advantage
of the subsidy, which will be funded from Sugar Development Fund
(SDF) will be for the mills in land-locked states like Uttar Pradesh
and the Punjab which can now enter the export market. According
to the latest figures compiled by the DGSCI&S , India’s
sugar exports in April-February 2001-02 have been 13.57 lakh tones,
up from 2.86 lakh tones in the corresponding period of previous
fiscal.
CONCOR
to set up domestic cargo terminal near Patna Container
Corportion of India (CONCOR) is setting up a domestic cargo terminal
at Fatuha, about 20 kilometres from Patna. The new facility to
be built over 20 acres of land is estimated to involve an investment
of Rs. 5 crore and is the second of its kind to be established
in the eastern region. Concor already has a similar domestic cargo
facility at Shalimar in Howrah district of West Bengal. While
the Fatuha facility will mailnly handle domestic cargo, mainly
inbound, the facility could be eventually developed as an Inland
Container Depot (ICD) once sufficient international traffic is
generated.
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