GST seems fated for further delay; draft Bill not in place Business Line The rollout of the country’s most significant indirect tax reform is almost certain to be further delayed, with the government easing up on the draft of the enabling model legislation to usher in a Goods and Services Tax. While the Constitution Amendment Bill for the GST will be listed for consideration and passage by the Rajya Sabha in the Budget Session of Parliament, which starts on February 23, the groundwork for it is not fully in place. A highly placed source said that “the model legislation that has to be passed by the Centre and the States has not been given full shape.” Discussions with the States on the modalities of the GST structure have not yet been held, the source added. The government was hoping to put out the drafts of the enabling legislation – Central GST, State GST, and Inter-State GST – for public discussion by the end of December, but that hasn’t come about.

Transport lifeline Business Standard What differentiates Container Corporation of India (Concor) from its peers is its unmatched infrastructure — a handling capacity of three million twenty-feett equivalent containers (TEUs), 63 inland container depots and container freight stations, in addition to 250 rakes (trains comprising coaches and wagons). All other private players together have 150 rakes. The pan-India presence and low operational cost give Concor a significant edge over competitors, which is set to be reinforced by a doubling of capacity to six million TEUs by FY17. Concor, the Star PSU award winner, is India’s largest multi-modal logistics company, with a market share of about 75 per cent in container cargo transportation by rail. In FY15 it carried 36.18 million tonnes of the 48.83 million tonnes of containerised cargo transported by Indian Railways, or IR.

India public ports record modest container growth JOC Container throughput at India’s major public ports was up 2.21 percent year-over-year in the first 10 months of fiscal year 2015-16, but the growth would have been slightly higher if the largest container handler, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, hadn’t faced slowdowns due to prolonged industrial unrest at the DP World facility in the harbor last month. Port statistics collected by JOC.com show container terminals at the country’s 12 major ports handled 6.78 million 20-foot-equivalent units during April 2015 to January, up from 6.63 million TEUs in the corresponding period in fiscal 2014-15, which ended in March 2015. Of that, JNPT accounted for 3.73 million TEUs, inching up 0.4 percent year-over-year from 3.72 million TEUs. By terminal, APM Terminals-operated Gateway Terminals India handled 1.55 million TEUs, down 7 percent from 1.67 million TEUs;

Maharashtra Maritime board inducts 3 new survey launches DNA In a boost for maritime development in the state, the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) has inducted new survey launches, which will be able to undertake hydrographic surveys with greater speed and accuracy. The three new boats will also hasten the board's plans to digitise its bathymetric data and ease construction of coastal infrastructure, such as ports, undersea pipelines, coastal roads and inland water transport systems, and operationalisation of ferry and inland water way services by mapping the navigational and geographic features. "These boats will enable state-of-the-art surveys and be much more efficient," MMB chief executive officer (CEO) Asheesh Sharma told dna, adding that the boats would replace the existing 1960 vintage boat, being used at present. Maharashtra will be one of the few coastal states with this facility.

McKinsey: India's Coastwise Shipping Will Grow Rapidly Maritime Executive Consultants McKinsey & Co. and AECOM have completed a study for the Indian Ministry of Shipping regarding the nation's maritime freight traffic, and have concluded that optimization – primarily boosting coastal shipping and speeding up container exports – could lead to cost savings in the billions. Further, the study estimates 20 percent annual growth in coastwise bulk freight traffic through 2025 - an increase from 150-250 million tons per year today to 750 million tons per year by the end of that period. The consultants also expect container volume at Indian ports to double, to 21 million TEU by 2025. If government initiatives like the Make in India program are successful, that volume could be as much as 25 million TEU, McKinsey said.

Vessel stuck on Elbe is afloat again Container Management The 19,000 teu vessel aground on the river Elbe for over five days is afloat again after a successful attempt to free it by taking advantage of the high spring tide on February 9. Following two failed attempts last week, five tugs dragged the China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL)’s Indian Ocean vessel into the navigation channel and towed it to the Port of Hamburg in an operation planned last week by Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (CCME), which took over managing the incident, to take advantage of the full moon high tide. The vessel, which was stranded on February 3 around 25 km ahead of the Port of Hamburg due to a technical failure, arrived at the port at 6.15am (CET) on February 9, following a 20-minute operation to drag the ship back into the navigation channel which began at about 2am (CET) and involved a total of 12 tugs.

RFID to be launched at Chennai port soon The Hindu Radio frequency identification (RFID) and e-seal are expected to be launched at Chennai port within a week or two. At a an interaction session with exporters and importers, organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore, and the Chennai Port Trust, here on Tuesday Chennai Port Trust Chairman M.A. Bhaskarachar said that live demonstration of the use of RFID was held at the port on Tuesday. It would be introduced for all vehicles so that they need not wait for manual checking for entry, said B. Vimal, traffic manager at the port. The e-seal would be a part of the RFID programme. Mr. Bhaskarachar added that the problem of congestion had also been addressed at the port during the last 10-15 days. A task force had been formed that monitored within the port and a group checked the trailers for documents outside the port area and this had brought down congestion.

Rise in improperly declared hazmat cargo highlights supply chain risk JOC Hapag-Lloyd says there was a 65 percent increase in improperly declared hazardous cargo it carried last year, the latest sign of how dangerous goods could disrupt supply chains through accidents such as those that took place recently in China and Brazil. The announcement of the discovery of more than 4,300 cases of wrongly declared cargo was made possible by Hapag’s Watchdog IT system, which reviews cargo data and flags unusual or suspicious information and shipments for further inspection. It is actually because of one of these aforementioned incidents, the explosion at the world’s tenth-busiest port of Tianjin in August, that Hapag saw such a steep increase in misdeclared cargo. Increased scrutiny of supply chains and shipments by ports in the wake of that explosion, which killed more than 170 people,

Kamarajar Port to invest Rs. 8,100 crore The Hindu Kamarajar Port Limited (KPL) will be commissioning five projects, including its maiden container terminal and multi-purpose cargo berths, within the next three years at a cost of Rs.8,100 crore, according to a top official. The project will increase the port’s cargo handling capacity by 44 million tonnes to 80 million tonnes per annum. Talking to The Hindu , M.A. Bhaskarachar, KPL chairman-cum-managing director, said: “A sum of Rs.8,100 crore is being invested in new projects to keep pace with competition from neighbouring ports such as L&T Kattupalli Port, Karaikal, Tuticorin, Chennai and Krishnapatnam Ports. With the completion of these projects, KPL’s terminal handling capacity will increase from 36 million tonnes to 80 million tonnes by 2018 and touch 100 million tonnes by 2020

Move to transport LNG via rail dropped The Hindu A proposal to transport LNG by rail from Vallarpadam to Kayamkulam has been shelved by authorities for unknown reasons. It has never received due official patronage despite being feasible and capable of ending the current phase of uncertainty over LNG connectivity to NTPC, Kayamkulam, according to expert opinion.The rail connectivity project had been discussed with the railway authorities a year ago, but it did not get due support from the government machinery, a top official associated with the project told The Hindu on Monday. Materialisation of the project would have solved the present crisis faced by NTPC, Kayamkulam. The 359-MW power generation unit at Kayamkulam has been remaining idle for most part of the year. The capacity utilisation has reached as low as seven per cent annually.

ASL Aviation to acquire TNT’s airline operations ATW Online Dublin-based ASL Aviation Group has signed a conditional agreement to buy two cargo airlines owned by TNT Express, which is itself being acquired by FedEx. TNT Express is being acquired by FedEx and, if the deal succeeds, TNT’s Belgian airline TNT Airways and its Spanish carrier Pan Air Líneas Aéreas will have to be divested due to airline ownership regulations. As reported by ATW last November, ASL Aviation Group was always a likely candidate to acquire the two airlines. This is because ASL Aviation Group was on track to acquire TNT Airways and Pan Air in 2012, when United Parcel Service (UPS) launched a takeover bid for TNT Express. This deal ultimately failed on competition grounds, thwarting ASL Aviation’s plans to acquire the cargo carriers. In a statement, TNT Express said it has now agreed to sell TNT Airways and Pan Air to ASL Aviation for an undisclosed sum.

SpiceJet plans to start door-to-door cargo delivery service amid turnaround plan DNA Budget carrier SpiceJet is planning to launch a door-to-door cargo delivery service as it seeks to explore other revenue streams amid a turnaround plan. The Gurgaon-based airline is in the process of setting up required infrastructure for the service, which is expected to be rolled out this fiscal, top airline sources said. SpiceJet has already placed order for 100 sub-three tonne trucks with a leading Mumbai-based commercial vehicle maker, besides leasing commercial space for 40 warehousing facilities across the country, they said. Significantly, the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines had unsuccessfully experimented with a cargo delivery service in 2010. "The proposed service is in the planning phase. We are working on it and are hoping that we launch the service within this fiscal," an airline source said.

Government mulls measures to arrest falling exports Hindustan Times An early recovery of India’s economy seems a distant dream, as India’s merchandise exports have been contracting in double-digits since December 2014 due to tepid global demand and volatile global currency market. Data recently released by the commerce ministry showed that during December 2015, exports contracted 14.75% to $22.3 billion, while imports shrank 3.9% to $33.9 billion, amounting to a trade deficit of $11.7 billion. India’s overall exports are projected by the ministry to decline 13% from the last year’s level to $270 billion in 2015-16, with a trade deficit of around $120-125 billion. “The two major reasons behind declining exports are — falling crude prices and the Indian rupee, which has not depreciated as much as the other currencies have. This has made exports from India less competitive. Oil crash is something on which India has no control.

Export Of Goods And Services Regulations Streamlined By The RBI Mondaq The Foreign Exchange Management (Export of goods and services) Regulations, 2000 have been superseded by the Foreign Exchange Management (Export of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2015 ("Export of Goods and Services Regulations 2015") issued by the RBI on January 12, 2016. The Export of Goods and Services Regulations will come into effect from date of its publication in the official gazette. The Export of Goods and Services Regulations 2015 clarify that in case for the export of services where no Form has been prescribed, the exporter may be permitted to export such services without furnishing any declarations, provided the exporter realises the full value of the services exported within the prescribed time and the payments for the services are made in the specified manner.

Baltic freight index hits new record low Business Line The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, continued its nosedive on Tuesday to touch another record low on slowing activity, especially from China. The Baltic Dry Index, which posted its record high of 11,793 points on May 20, 2008, has slumped to 291 points, marking the lowest level since the Baltic records began in January 1985. The index has yet to post a single session of gain this year and has tumbled nearly 40 per cent, touching fresh lows in 25 of the 27 sessions thus far. The index is viewed by investors as an indicator of global industrial activity.

Big Containerships losing edge on lower bunker prices says Drewry Hellenic Shipping News Much lower marine fuel prices are reducing big containerships’ cost advantages. Drewry Maritime Advisors examines the impact on carriers’ network planning. Bunker prices are now at a low level not seen since the early 2000s. When bunker prices increased five-fold, to levels in excess of $600 per tonne, lines responded with a number of cost saving measures as they focussed on bunkers as the biggest single cost item in their business. However, with the complete reversal of that trend, and bunker prices now in the range $100-150 per tonne again, Drewry Maritime Advisors has examined how this change in the line’s cost structure may influence the way in which they plan and operate their networks.Slow steaming – and later super slow steaming – became a feature of lines’ operations when bunker prices rose dramatically in 2007/8. Logistics Service Chennai,Logistics service provider in chennai,International Freight Forwarders chennai,Custom Clearance Agents in Chennai,Sea Cargo Agents in Chennai,Logistics Service in Chennai , Checkout http://www.jupiterseaair.com

CargoLogicAir reveals fleet plans.

New UK-based all-cargo airline CargoLogicAir (CLA) has revealed it hopes to operate a fleet of five Boeing 747 freighters in 2018.  The much speculated-upon airline today confirmed it had been awarded an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

CLA has taken delivery of its first Boeing 747-400 freighter from Air Castle and will add a second 747F to its fleet in July 2016. CLA expects to have a fleet of five Boeing 747Fs by April 2018. It said it would announce routes and an operations schedule in due course.

The Stansted-headquartered airline said it aimed to become a leader in the European air cargo market offering cargo services on scheduled and charter flights. The airline aims to take a “strong position in the segment of all-cargo and outsize logistics solutions”.  Although many appointments were known due to LinkedIn profile updates, the airline also confirmed Dmitry Grishin, formerly vice president sales at Ruslan International, as its newly-appointed chief executive.

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Amazon not looking to replace the likes of UPS and FedEx.

E-commerce giant Amazon has provided clarity on its moves into airfreight and other cargo transport modes, saying it is not looking to take on existing logistics operators. Over the Christmas period Air Cargo News reported that Amazon had chartered aircraft in the US and Europe in order to move cargo across those continents.

Reports suggested it was looking to charter as many as 20 Boeing 767 Freighters as it planned to set up an overnight US domestic delivery service. Amazon chief financial officer Brian Olsavsky said: “What we've found is in order to properly serve our customers at peak we've needed to add more of our own logistics to supplement our existing partners - that's not meant to replace them.

“Those carriers are no longer able to handle all of our capacity that we need at peak. They have been and continue to be great partners and we look forward to working with them in the future. It's just we've had to add some resources on our own.” However, it has invested in its own trucks to move cargo between its warehouses and source centres.

On the shipping side, a Chinese subsidiary registered as a non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) allowing it to block book space on container vessels. These reports led some analysts to opine that it was planning to enter the world of transport and logistics and take on the likes of FedEx and UPS.

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Airport insight: 2015 cargo results.

 Global: Hong Kong still top of the hubs

Hong Kong looks set to remain the top air cargo airport for 2015 despite a near static performance with only a 0.1% rise in freight volumes to 4.4m tonnes. US integrator hub Memphis, number two in 2014, has still to report its full-year results.  Memphis, home to parcels giant FedEx, showed an average 1.2% rise in the first nine months of 2015 which, if it kept at that level, would again place the US mega-hub behind its Asian rival.

Air Cargo News has collated a basket of 40 global airports which have reported that 2015 cargo tonnages to provide an indicative early screenshot of the industry’s cargo gateway performance for the year just passed.   A few caveats first. Many of the key mainland Chinese airports and a couple of the US big beasts, plus those in Latin America and Africa, have yet to issue their results for 2015. There is, however, a sufficient number of last year’s top 20 hubs that have published their 2015 throughputs – fourteen in all ─ to prove a valuable insight into global and regional variation.

If we focus on the representative basket of the top 20 freight hubs (below, figure 1), we see that seven airports recorded a decline, with Taiwan’s Taipei airport having the largest decrease, at 3.3% to just over 2m tonnes, with Europe’s top cargo hub, Frankfurt, the next highest with a 2.3% fall to 2.1m tonnes.

Given below are the TOP 20 Airports of the world and their tonnage handling performance.

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Iran Air confirmed an agreement with Airbus for the acquisition of 118 new airliners (73 widebodies and 45 single aisle).  The agreement for 118 new aircraft, signed by Farhad Parvaresh, Iran Air chairman and chief executive, includes 21 A320ceo family, 24 A320neo family, 27 A330ceo family, 18 A330neo (-900), 16 A350-1000 and 12 A380.

It also includes pilot and maintenance training and support services to help the entry into service and efficient operations of these new aircraft.   "Today’s announcement is the start of re-establishing our civil aviation sector into the envy of the region and along with partners like Airbus we’ll ensure the highest world standards,” said Parvaresh.

The agreement will allow Iran Air state to begin the process of replacing aircraft that in some cases date to before the Islamic Revolution in 1979.  While the new aircraft are passenger, Iran Air current lists two Airbus A300B4Fs operated by its cargo arm plus a mothballed 747 freighter.

It is not clear if it plans further orders that include freighters, an area Boeing is currently considered the industry leader.  The Iranian government has also indicated that it would purchase US-built Boeing planes, although a special waiver from yet to be lifted US sanctions would be required.

Aviation experts estimate that Iran will need around 500 new planes over the next few years. Most Iranian-registered planes have been banned from European Union airspace on safety grounds, while continuing sanctions have in any case greatly diminished the market for air transport.

Besides the two Iran Air freighters, Pouya Cargo Air is reported to have three Ilyushin 76 freighters on its fleet. Mahan Air, the country’s second biggest airline and largest private carrier reportedly has two 747-300 combis in its fleet as well as various passenger Airbus types.  The air cargo sector is poised to capitialise on the removal of sanctions against Iran.

In a research note, Transport Intelligence practice leader Thomas Cullen said that the removal of certain aspects of the Iranian sanction regime had “triggered a flood of business, much of it requiring logistics infrastructure”.   The automotive and oil and gas sectors are expected to boom following the removal of sanctions. 

Although it happened at the height of Christmastide and it might have sailed right by many of us, the largest container ship to ever make port in North America arrived in the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, California, on Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015.

      After making its maiden voyage from China, where it was built, the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin docked before dawn with its cargo. 

      The ship can carry 18,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), which is about a third more than the ships that currently dock in the Port of L.A. 

      The Benjamin Franklin measures 1,300 feet long, 177 feet wide, 197 feet tall, and is staffed with a crew of 26. 

      She is longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall.

      The Port of Los Angeles has been modified to dock the vessel, but cannot manage to handle a fully loaded ship at this time.

      Named for one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, the Benjamin Franklin operated its first voyage a bit more than three quarters full.

      Right now she sails while builders and shipping companies keep a weathered eye, figuring bigger is better, especially with the minimum upping of crews needed and the ever-present specter of increased fuel costs.

      So if the thinking is right, investing in mega ships is the right move for companies with long-term vision and deep pockets, as they will save money whilst driving greater profits.

      At least, that is the plan.

      But right now, in addition to infrastructure challenges, there is actually a global capacity glut as USA-China business slows.

      Although there are more than two-dozen of these giant ships built and more on order, there are also idle ships of all sizes everywhere as 2016 lumbers into February.

Geoffrey

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India-Bangladesh joint task force on coastal shipping cooperation to meet in Delhi Economic Times The India-Bangladesh Joint Task Force on coastal shipping cooperation will meet in Dhaka in the first week of March to carry forward bilateral cooperation in the sector. This was stated by visiting Bangladesh Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque a day after his talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar and his separate meetings with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Special Secretary in Water Resources Ministry Amarjit Singh today. Coastal shipping is a new area identified by the two countries during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka in June last year, Haque told reporters here and the forthcoming meeting of the Task Force would take forward bilateral cooperation in the area. The Task Force would identify the Indian and Bangladeshi ports and the sea routes which are to be open for coastal shipping in ferrying goods and passenger services, he said.

Export boosters: can we go beyond tax breaks? Live Mint Reports indicate that the commerce ministry wants to exempt exporters in special economic zones (SEZs) from paying taxes. Its concern to revitalize exports, falling for more than a year in a row, is appreciated. But the suggestion is not. If tax breaks ever boosted exports, one has to only look at past causal outcomes: production is diverted to SEZs and government loses revenues. Worse, once fiscal incentives are instituted, there is resistance to withdrawal as interests get entrenched. Gains, if any, are at best limited to improved infrastructure facilities such as better power supply and connectivity. Exporting gains from the 2006 SEZ policy, which gave a 10-year tax break, have remained controversial. Research shows that India’s revealed comparative advantage (or RCA, an index with values below one indicating relative disadvantage of a country in that segment)

Terminal disruption slows growth at India's biggest port JOC Container volume at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust edged up roughly 1 percent year-over-year in January as India’s biggest, public container handler looks to speed up operations following the end of prolonged industrial unrest at the DP World facility in the harbor. The newest port data obtained by JOC.com shows JNPT handled 377,581 twenty-foot-equivalent units in January, up from 373,131 TEUs in the same month last year, but down 1.7 percent from the prior month, when volume reached 384,205 TEUs. By terminal, APM Terminals-operated Gateway Terminals India contributed 162,474 TEUs, down 8.6 percent from 177,658 TEUs during January 2015. DP World’s Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal, which struggled to maintain normal operations last month due to work slowdowns and blockades staged by some employees over demands tied to wage increases and better working conditions, saw its volume tumble 47 percent year-over-year to 51,019 TEUs.

Exclusive: Shipping Min seeks higher Budget funding B TV With mega port connectivity and inland waterways projects coming up, Shipping Ministry has pitched for higher Budget allocation of Rs 5,543 crore for FY17. Sources told Bloomberg TV India that Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari has sought a quantum jump in budget funding—Rs 5,543 crore for FY17 as compared with just Rs 932 crore in FY16. “Shipping Ministry is pursuing major projects. Prime Minister’s ambitious Sagarmala project of connecting all the ports is likely to get Rs 1,000 crore as the national perspective plan for Sagarmala is ready,” an official said. The ministry also plans to start multi-modal hubs at Banaras, Sahibganj and Haldia for easy transportation of goods and services. “Shipping ministry will prioritise spending on inland waterways transport as a lot more needs to be explored in this domain," the official said. The Ministry has sought Rs 2,384 crore for developing inland waterways.

India intermodal firm to become NVOCC JOC Container Corporation of India, a state-owned intermodal operator, is set to jump into the shipping game as a non-vessel operating common carrier as part of a wider effort to diversify its business. The expansion into maritime shipping follows on the company’s 2005 entry into the terminal operator business and the company also has its eyes on setting up logistics parks and terminals outside India. Concor has also been providing third-party logistics services like warehousing, refrigerated cargo storage and movement, and air cargo. “We are keen on getting into shipping...as a non-vessel owning common carrier to start with. That is one of our strategic plans,” V Kalyana Rama, Concor’s director of projects and services who has just been named the company's new chairman and managing director, told IHS Fairplay. “We will have slots on ships. Shipping now is not in good shape. We are in the business of transporting containers, so it is either forward or backward integration.”

East Coast Maritime resurgence Part-III Times of India For all those who are still worried about the economy, especially as seen from armchairs in Delhi and Mumbai, may I suggest that they try to join the dots here too, along the sea-coasts of India, especially the East Coast? #1 The current price of crude oil in dollars is almost the same as the average price of crude oil over the last 30 to 50 years. #2 Container and dry bulk shipping are not doing well, over-capacity tipping point meets reduction in cargo tipping point. #3 Tankers, fishing fleets, coastal ships and efficient ports are doing well all over the world. #4 As farm to fork and factory & shop floor to frequent shopper gets shorter in range and distance, commerce becomes more efficient. #5 There are efficient new ports in India springing up literally overnight and taking business from their older neighbours. #6 More and more major ports are being headed by people from Indian Railways who know the subject of fast evacuation of cargo very well.

Sitharaman discusses growth strategy with export bodies Business Line Exporters from various sectors such as pharmaceuticals, textiles, chemicals, engineering goods, farm products and marine products discussed their specific problems and ways of boosting exports in a meeting with Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister for Commerce and Industry, on Tuesday. Sitharaman said her Ministry will work with various departments including environment, textiles, external affairs and finance to boost exports and also address tax related issues. The 12 export promotion councils (EPCs) attending the meeting also raised the issue of the impact of India-Asean free trade agreement on the country’s exports. Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia said that the Centre had already started a review of the FTA. The Centre will also look into the likely impact of GST on exports, she said. The Minister asked representatives of the EPCs to inform the Ministry about “what is not happening and what should ideally happen,” an official release said.

Cochin Port Trust to help evictees affected by projects The Hindu Cochin Port Trust will allot 60-square metre plots on the eastern side of National Highway 47C on lease for a period of 10 years to people, who had been evicted for the connectivity projects for the International Container Transshipment Terminal project. The evictees are the ones who had parted with their land for the connectivity projects and they can use the leased land for directly running bunks and shops. This is a measure of rehabilitation for the people affected by the projects, said Port Trust sources on Tuesday. A total of 67 plots, having approximate size of 5 m X 12 m each, have been earmarked in nine blocks on the eastern side of the National Highway between Bolghatty Junction and the new police station building on Mulavukad island for the purpose. The total extent of the 67 plots identified to be leased comes to approximately an acre.

Like Adani Ports, says Prakash Diwan Money Control Prakash Diwan of prakashdiwan.in told CNBC-TV18, "There is a whole change in environment for the shipping companies and port companies and that has gone quietly unnoticed. I like Adani Ports because it has currently three terminals operating out of Mundra. Container Terminal (CT) is operated by DP World, Container Terminal II is operated by the company itself and CT III is a 50:50 joint venture (JV) between the company and MSE. MSE is a second largest shipping line in the world." "Now they are setting up Container Terminal IV which is also a JV with CBG, it is a consortium. Of course it will take some time, June 2016 is when it is likely to get commissioned. All put together, right now the capacity is 4 billion TEUs and it could go up to about 6.6 once this expansion happens." "Currently, FY'15 utilisation has been about 2.7 million out of the capacity and maybe FY'16 probably will end up being about 3 million.

Ease of doing business: Commerce min to approach other ministries Financial Express The commerce ministry will soon approach various ministries to further improve the ease of doing businesses and the competitiveness of exporters, as it desperately seeks to find ways to boost exports that have contracted for a 13th straight month through December. After a meeting with a dozen-odd export promotion councils (EPCs) that last over two hours, commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman said: “We will follow up with ministries of environment, textiles and finance as well as customs authorities for easing out few more things related to export promotion so that there is an ease of doing business from the exporters point of view.” Issues such as the impact of India-Asean free trade agreement on the country’s exports, non-tariff barriers in other countries, currency volatility, special economic zones, services tax and problems in dealing with customs officials were flagged by the councils, apart from various incentives sought by them.

New U.S. rule a blow to Indian pharma exporters The Hindu In a move that will further inflate prices of drugs in the United States — already a burning issue in the current presidential campaign — the U.S. government has made it mandatory for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) to be manufactured locally. At present, nearly 80 per cent of drug raw material requirement is met by India or China. The decision has already sent Indian pharmaceutical exporters into a tizzy, as it will significantly impact Indian drug exports. Before the new norms came into effect, U.S.-based companies were allowed to procure APIs from countries like India and China, make the fixed formulations (final product) in the U.S. and sell the drugs to the U.S. government. Pharmexcil has approached the Commerce Ministry, requesting authorities to intervene and resolve the issue. The issue comes at a time when Indian API exports have been slowing down.

PM Modi assures Tirupur exporters of action on trade deals with EU, Australia, Canada Economic Times PM Narendra Modi, meeting entrepreneurs from Coimbatore just ahead of a public meeting there, assured them of action on Free Trade Agreement with the European Union. The FTA is a long-standing demand from Tirupur garments makers in their stated target to double their export in three years. Nearly 35% of total ready-made garment exported From India valued $8.56 billion in first six months of 2015-15, went to the EU. "Our main competitor is Bangladesh, which is enjoying a duty-free market status in the EU. We are confident we can dent the market share of Bangladesh if the FTA with EU can be achieved, considering we have many factories with a compliance orientation at our end," A Sakthivel, President of Tirupur Exporters' Association. Sakthivel added that Modi had told them that talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel had been initiated on all prospective trade-related tie-ups and that he will make sure "the government does the needful.

ABS and Cosco sign cooperation agreement on Arctic routes Seatrade Maritime ABS and China Ocean Shipping Company (Cosco) have signed an agreement to cooperate on trans-Arctic voyages through the Northeast passage. The agreement includes development of specialised ice-class vessel types able to navigate the arctic sea route, under a cooperative initiative on Arctic Shipping Technology Development. Use of the Northern Sea Route, which has become navigable for shipping between July and November thanks to climate change and melting sea ice, allows a reduction of nearly 4,000 miles of voyage distance between Asian and European ports. “ABS is excited to work with Cosco to develop this pioneering trading route,” said Eric Kleess, president and coo of ABS Greater China Division, at the signing ceremony in Shanghai.

CMA CGM signs vessel sharing agreement with Iran's IRISL Sea News CMA CGM signed preliminary vessel sharing agreement with Iranian shipping company IRISL, reports Maritime News Journal of Varna, Bulgaria. According to the report, the agreement calls for the joint use of vessels, handling services and co-operation in terminals operations. Following the agreement both companies will cooperate with vessel capacity sharing and joint operating of routes to Iran, which will provide more efficient services and better connectivity. IRISL is Iran's largest shipping cargo carrier and was recently removed from the international sanctions list, opening routes and access to world trade markets. The agreement marks the first deal between an international line and IRISL since sanctions were lifted. "The progressive lifting of sanctions should bring strong growth in trade between Iran and the rest of the world. This agreement opens new opportunities for CMA CGM to expand in this region", said CMA CGM in official statement. Logistics Chennai,International Freight Forwarders in Chennai, Custom Clearance Agents in Chennai , Checkout http://www.jupiterseaair.com