Shipping Ministry

Rewriting maritime map: Centre charts course for broader ship ownership

Shipping ministry seeks maritime overhaul with 4 key bills lined up in Parliament session

India to be among top 10 global ship manufacturers by 2030: Sonowal

Addressing 'Sagarmanthan - The Great Oceans Dialogue', Sonowal further said the global South will determine the shape of ocean trade in the 21st Century

Govt announces steps to resolve shipping related problems of traders

The government on Thursday announced steps, including reducing certain charges at ports and purchase of five additional second-hand container vessels by SCI, to resolve shipping sector-related problems of exporters and importers. These measures were announced after a meeting of all the concerned stakeholders of the international trade segment, including senior officials of ministries like commerce and industry, shipping, ports, finance, civil aviation and railways; apex exporters body FIEO (federation of Indian export organisations), customs officials, freight forwarders, transport operators and shipping companies. Exporting community and experts have flagged shipping sector issues which are hurting the country's exports, which has contracted by 9.3 per cent in August. The issues figured in the discussions include container shortage, surge in ocean freight rate and shipping cost, shipping delays at the Indian ports, and turnaround time at the ports. Briefing media after the ...

Shipping ministry accepts revised wage structure for workers of major ports

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has approved wage structure revision for workers at major ports, an official statement said on Wednesday. According to the statement, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Bipartite Wage Negotiation Committee (BWNC) and the Indian Port Association (IPA), averting an indefinite strike that was set to disrupt operations across 12 major ports in India. The MoU facilitates the revision of the wage structure and addresses other service conditions, including pensionary benefits, it added. It was also agreed that the fitment benefit of 8.5 per cent on the aggregate amount of basic pay as of December 31, 2021, plus 30 per cent VDA (variable dearness allowance) as of January 1, 2022, will be granted. "The periodicity of the settlement is set for five years, from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2026. "The new pay scales, effective from January 1, 2022, will be formulated according to existing practices," the statement ...

Ministry of Ports receives 29 proposals worth Rs 3,300 cr from Andhra

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has received 29 new proposals worth Rs 3,300 crore from Andhra Pradesh covering various projects, including port development and coastal berths, Parliament was informed on Friday. Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said 13 projects in Andhra Pradesh, valued around Rs 2,500 crore, are currently receiving financial assistance under the Sagarmala scheme. These projects include Ro-Pax and passenger jetties, fishing harbours, port modernisation, and skill development. The ministry has already sanctioned Rs 450 crore for development of these projects, Sonowal said. Additionally, he said the Visakhapatnam Port Authority and Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) have undertaken 36 projects in Andhra Pradesh, with a combined investment of Rs 4,600 crore. Among these, 22 projects worth Rs 2,530 crore have been completed, while 14 projects worth Rs 2,070 crore are in various stages o

Vadhavan Port: India's first mega port set to boost sea-based trade

The Vadhavan port, which the Cabinet cleared this week, will be India's first to begin life as a mega port. What does that mean for the country's share of sea-based trade?

Ministry aims for 80% landlord model at major ports by 2030: Ramachandran

The shipping ministry is working to shift to an 80 per cent landlord model by the end of this decade to increase efficiency and reduce logistics costs at major ports, a senior government said on Saturday. In the landlord model, private players take over the operational aspects, while the port authority acts as a regulator and landlord. Speaking at CII Annual Business Summit 2024, Ports, Shipping and Waterways Secretary TK Ramachandran said Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) has become the first major port of the country to become 100 per cent landlord port, having all berths being operated on PPP model. The PPP (public-private partnership) model is considered an effective tool for attracting investment in the port sector. "We have 12 major ports, and we have a huge capacity...we want to shift to an 80 per cent landlord model by the end of this decade," Ramachandran said. He further said the four pillars that the Shipping ministry is working on to improve the cost and ease of doing busin

Centre approves Rs 645 cr for 10 waterways projects on Brahmaputra in Assam

The shipping ministry on Friday approved Rs 645 crore for 10 new waterways projects on the Brahmaputra river in Assam, according to an official statement. The statement said projects will be implemented under 100 per cent funding from the central government under the Sagarmala programme of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways. "New projects aimed at building new capacity along the Brahmaputra to boost River Tourism, public commute in Assam," the statement quoted Shipping Minister Sarbananda as saying. The statement further that from the construction of slipways at strategic locations such as Maya Ghat in Dhubri district and Majuli district to the establishment of passenger terminals at Ghagor in North Lakhimpur district and Bahari in Barpeta district, each proposal is meticulously designed to enhance connectivity and facilitate seamless transportation across the region. Additional passenger terminals are set to be established in Goalpara, Guijan, Kurua, Dhubri, Disangmukh, .

India's first Gati Shakti Research Chair to be established at IIM-Shillong

The Chair will contribute towards high-quality academic research on multimodal logistics with a North-East focus

Vibrant Gujarat Summit: Shipping min signs pacts for Rs 30k cr investments

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) on Thursday said it has signed initial agreements for investments worth Rs 30,000 crore during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024. In a statement, the ministry said during the event APM Terminals and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 20,000 crore, expressing their intent to invest in the Vadhavan Port Project. The proposed Vadhavan port in Maharashtra is a high-priority initiative for the government, the port is designed to handle an annual cargo capacity of 23 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) or 254 million tons, boasting a natural draft of 20 meters to accommodate larger container vessels of up to 20,000 TEUs. Once completed, the project will rank among the world's top 10 largest ports and serve as a significant green fuel hub, the statement said. According to a statement, a memorandum of understanding between Deendayal Port Authority (DPA), Kandla and ...

Inter-ministerial meet next week over issues on trade from Red Sea crisis

The commerce ministry has called a high-level inter-ministerial meet next week to discuss ways to insulate India's trade from the ongoing problems in the Red Sea, a senior official said on Thursday. Senior officials from five ministries -- external affairs, defence, shipping and finance and commerce -- will participate in the deliberations. The commerce ministry has also set up an internal strategic group, comprising additional secretaries of the ministry, to discuss global issues impacting the country's trade on a daily basis and prepare a strategy to deal with them. "The idea of the inter-ministerial meeting is to see how we can strategise our trade so that it gets least affected in such a situation," the official said. The situation around the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping route connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, has escalated due to recent attacks by Yemen-based Houthi militants. Due to these attacks, the shippers are taking ...

Sonowal to chair first Inland Waterways Development Council meet on Monday

The Inland Waterways Authority of India, under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW), is set to host the inaugural 'Inland Waterways Development Council' meeting in Kolkata on Monday.According to an official statement issued from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, the day-long meeting on board the vessel MV Ganga Queen, by Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and AYUSH, will bring together key figures from across the waterways states and central government including Shripad Naik and Shantanu Thakur, Ministers of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways."The event will also see the participation of Ministers from various State Governments, accompanied by their principal secretaries, Secretaries, alongside numerous senior officers of the Central Government and domain experts in the field" the ministry said in its statement.Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will also unveil groundbreaking initiatives, including "Harit

Smooth sailing for US-sanctioned vessel carrying Russian crude oil

According to reports, the vessel, NS Century, is one of the three that has regularly been shipping Russian crude oil to India. It is expected to reach India's Vadinar Port in Gujarat on Saturday

Sarbananda Sonowal flags off Costa Serena's maiden domestic operations

The government plans to increase the annual number of cruise passengers in India to 1.8 million passengers by 2030

DP World, Kandla Port sign agreement for Rs 4,200 crore container terminal

The Centre foresees the strategic location of the terminal as an aid in its pursuit to reduce container logistics costs within the country

Sagar Sampark: Made-in-India navigation system for ships inaugurated

The shipping ministry said the navigation system will assist mariners with safe navigation and will reduce the risk of collisions, groundings, and accidents

Govt remains deeply committed to Act East Policy: Sarbananda Sonowal

Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday said the government remains deeply committed to the Act East Policy and is working towards enabling its maximum potential for growth and development in the eastern region of the country. Sonowal emphasized the need for greater cooperation among the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multilateralism (BBINM) countries to unlock the full potential of the maritime sector in the region. The Objective of "Act East Policy", is to promote economic cooperation, cultural ties and develop strategic relationships with countries in the Asia-Pacific region through continuous engagement at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels. The Minister was speaking at a stakeholder meeting of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP) attended by representatives of trade and commerce, as well as diplomatic envoys from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Nepal. The meeting was also attended by senior corporate officials including SAIL, Tata Steel, Indian Oil, Haldia ..

Centre to finance almost 30% of green shipping projects in the country

Decision taken at shipping ministry's annual chintan shivir

Ports & shipping ministry to give financial aid to promoting green shipping

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) on Monday announced that it will provide 30 per cent financial support for the promotion of green shipping and a single-window portal will be developed to facilitate and monitor river and sea cruises. Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal made five major announcements, focusing on green shipping and digitisation of the ports at the end of the ministry's second Chintan Shibir held in Munnar, Kerala. "The Panch Karma Sankalp' includes--- MoPSW to provide 30 per cent financial support for the promotion of Green Shipping; Deendayal Port and VO Chidambaranar Port, Tuticorin to be developed as Green Hydrogen Hub Jawaharlal Nehru Port and VO Chidambaranar Port, Tuticorin to become smart port by next year," an official statement said. The ministry on Sunday started its Chintan Shivir in Munnar, Kerala, to determine the targets and deliberate upon the ideas of making India Atmanirbhar in maritime. According to the ...

Sonowal to receive first cargo vessel to Sittwe port in Myanmar on Tue

Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will be receiving the first cargo ship to Sittwe Port in Myanmar from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata on May 9, an official statement said on Friday. The ceremony is likely to inaugurate regular transit of cargo ships between Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata to SittwePort in Rakhine state of Myanmar, heralding a new age of transportation between two countries, the statement said. Union Minister Shantanu Thakur on Thursday flagged off the inaugural cargo shipment to operationalise Sittwe Port in Rakhine, Myanmar, from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port. According to an official statement, cargo ship MV-ITT LION (V-273) carrying 20,000 bags containing 1,000 metric tonnes of cement will reach Sittwe Port on May 9, 2023. The port has been built under grant assistance from India as part of the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP), it added. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), as a project ...