| |
News on Ports
Mumbai
Port invites bid for container terminal product Mumbai
Port Trust (MbPT), one of country’s oldest ports has invited
bids from private parties for submitting bids for building and
operating a container terminal. The terminal is expected to be
built at a cost of Rs. 1,000 crore in about next three years..
The project is being taken up on 30-year “build-operate-transfer”
(BOT) basis. The terminal is expected to boost the port’s
container handling capacity to about one million TEUs from 600,000
TEUs at present. The container terminal project is expected to
help reverse the trend of declining container traffic at Mumbai
port. The port has handled 254,725 TEUs of containers in 2000-01,
a substantial decline compared to 321,439 TEUs handled in the
previous year
Ennore
Port to go ahead with dredging for VLCC-class berths The board
of director of Ennore Port Ltd (EPL) has decided to go ahead with
the proposal to put up berths for handling very large crude carriers
(VLCCs) and iron ore. EPL will undertake only dredging while the
berths will be constructed on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis.
The dredging project is expected to entail an investment of Rs.300
crore and will deepen the available draft from present 16 metres
to 26.5 metres. EPL is exploring several options to undertake
the project including handing over the BOT option, whereby the
EPL could pay a levy to dredging company similar to toll levied
on roads based on tonnage carried. The berth for handling VLCC
is expected to be mainly used by Chennai Petroleum Corporation
Ltd. (CPCL), which is currently bringing in crude oil by Suezmax
tankers at Chennai port from crude is transported to refinery
at Manali using pipelines.
KPT
to build coal berth under BOT at Haldia dock Kolkata Port
Trust (KPT) has entered into an agreement with International Seaports
(India) Private Limited (ISPL) for building a berth at Haldia
dock on a build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis. The berth which
would have a capacity of 1.5 million tonnes annually is expected
to be completed in about two years and would handle mainly coking
coal. ISPL will also building mechanized handling facility, which
would feature conveyor system and two each of unloading cranes,
reclaimers and mechanized wagon loaders. ISPL has also signed
an agreement with Steel Authority of India (SAIL) to use the proposed
berth on an exclusive basis. SAIL exports around two lakh tonnes
of steel goods annually through Haldia and imports nearly three
million tonnes of coking coal, which is about 45 per cent of its
total coking coal requirements. The coal imported through Haldia
is dispatched to SAIL’s steel plants located in Durgapur,
Bokaro and Rourkela.
NEERI
to study Sethusamudram ship canal project The Nagpur-based
National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI),
has bagged the contract to prepare the techno-economic feasibility
report on the Sethusamudram ship canal project. The study will
be completed in about one year. Earlier, in its environmental
examination, NEERI had indicated that the project was environmentally
safe.
Singapore
announces support program for its port The Singapore
government has announced a S$ 80 million in support funds for
the Singapore port, in a bid to curtail growing erosion of customer
base to rival Malaysian port of Tanjung Pelepas. About S$ 30 million
out of the government’s support fund would be used to extend
20 per cent concession on port fees until 2004, while another
S$ 50 would be used for training workers. The government is also
looking for new ways to retain customers for the long term by
offering dedicated terminals to shippers and offering them stakes
in PSA. Singapore port, which is the second busiest container
port, charges 30-40 per cent higher on its services, compared
to Tanjung Pelepas.
Back
to top
News on Shipping
Chowgule
Steamships to invest in its overseas arm Chowgule Steamships
Ltd. has reportedly decided to invest up to $ 3 million in Chowgule
Steamships Overseas, Guernsey, a wholly owned subsidiary of the
company. The company board, which met recently has also decided
to entrust technical and crew management of all its Panamax vessels
and crew management to the ASP Ship management (India).
IOC
proposes joint shipping of crude through VLCCs on East Coast Indian
Oil Corporation (IOC) has reportedly made a proposal to Hindustan
Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) for joint shipping of crude
oil for the East coast refineries at Haldia, Barauni, Chennai
and Viskapatanam. The crude is currently sources separately through
Suez Max tankers by the two companies, which the IOC has now proposed
could be handled using very large crude carriers (VLCCs), which
can carry over 250,000 tonne compared to 150,000 tonne capacity
of Suez Max vessels. The deployment of VLCC vessels would substantially
bring down the cost as they can handle more crude oil per voyage.
The four oil refineries on the East coast jointly consume about
25 million tonnes of crude per annum. The current requirement
is reckoned at about one VLCC per month from Nigeria and Abu Dhabi
and about two VLCCs from Saudi Arabia. Since the dismantling of
the administered price mechanism (APM), the ICO has ceased to
be the canalizing agent for crude oil and oil companies like BPCL
and HPCL have started sourcing their crude oil requirements mostly
on term contracts from producers in the Arabian Gulf.
Back to top
International
shipyards offer to build VLCCs for SCI Several international
shipyards including Hyundai, Samho, Daewoo, Samsung, Mitsubishi
and Nantong-Cosco yards have reportedly submitted offers to
Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) for building two new very
large crude carriers (VLCCs) of 300,000 dwt each. The Union
government has asked SCI to put on hold all its major commercial
investment decisions until the ongoing disinvestment process
is completed. However, the SCI board at its April 30 meeting
has referred its acquisition plan to the Ministry of Shipping
(MoS) stating that it was not seeking any budgetary support
from the government for its acquisition plan and that same would
be funded by its own resources.
Two
new passenger-cum-cargo vessels built for Andamans Goodwill
Engineering Works, a division of SICAL has built two passenger-cum-cargo
vessels mv Onge and mv Pilomillow at the Pondicherry Port, with
a capacity to carry 75 passengers, 14 crew members and 50 tonne
of cargo and maximum speed of 15.2 knots an hour. A third ship
mv Katchal, also meant for Andamans, would be ready for delivery
by mid-June. The three ships are part of a fleet of 18 ships
for which tenders were called for by the Andaman Nicobar administration.
The vessels being built have the latest equipment, radar and
global positioning system (GPS) and cost about Rs. 7 crore each.
The company is also currently building two tugs for the Chennai
Port Trust and one VIP-cum pilot launch for the Tuticorin Port
Trust. The company is also working on plans to set up a floating
dock of 500tonne capacity for docking and repairing ships.
News on Inland Waterways
IWT plans to promote cruise shipping in inland and
coastal waters Inland Waterway Authority of India (IWAI)
is planning to promote cruises on India’s rivers in collaboration
with maritime boards of various States. The plan seeks to develop
the tourism potential of Kochi and Andaman and Nicobar Islands
as international cruise destinations, besides adding on new
cruise destinations in the North East states, Kerala, Maharashtra
and Konkan coast. The proposed plan for cruises would also cover
major inland waterways, especially the Ganges and Brahmaputra.
The planned cruises would cover destinations like Bodhgaya,
Varanasi, Delhi, Allahabad, Calcutta, Puri, Chennai and Rameshwaram.
|
|