Shipping Ports

US port workers, operators reach deal to end East Coast strike immediately

The union and the port operators said in a statement that they would extend their master contract until Jan. 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table

Centre releases draft guidelines on deregulating PPP port tariffs

Competition in ports sector has seen major shift, regulation no longer necessary, says Shipmin

Container shortage, freight spike shake maritime economy in India

India's merchandise exports also contracted by nearly 10 per cent in August. Both officials and traders highlighted the challenges in transportation

More than 80 critical issues resolved during 20th MSDC meet in Goa

More than 80 critical issues between the Centre, states and Union Territories were resolved during the 20th Maritime State Development Council (MSDC) that concluded in Goa on Friday. As per an official release, the two-day event saw the resolution of critical issues focused on port infrastructure modernisation, connectivity, statutory compliances, maritime tourism, navigation projects, sustainability, and port security. During the 20th MSDC, more than 100 issues from various states were deliberated and successfully resolved, it said. "Several new and emerging challenges were also addressed, including the establishment of places of refuge (PoR) for ships in distress, the development of radioactive detection equipment (RDE) infrastructure at ports to enhance security, and the facilitation of seafarers by recognising them as key essential workers, ensuring better working conditions and access to shore leave," the statement added. Union Minister of Port Shipping and Waterways Sarbanand

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 ...

Gujarat Pipavav stock hits new high, soars 9% in subdued market

Pipavav Port is in the forefront amongst all Indian ports in driving the government's initiative of increasing the market share of railways in freight handling.

Suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi targets ship in Bab el-Mandeb Strait

A suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a ship on Thursday in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait that links the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, authorities said. The Houthis did not immediately claim the assault, though it follows a monthslong campaign by the rebels targeting shipping through the Red Sea corridor over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. After a recent two-week pause, their attacks have resumed following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, the Houthis' main benefactor, amid renewed concerns over the war breaking out into a regional conflict. The attack saw a rocket-propelled grenade explode close to the ship, according to the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre. Two smaller craft, with men aboard wearing white and yellow raincoats, launched the RPG, the UKMTO said. The vessel and crew are reported to be safe, and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call, the centre added. Authorities are ...

New shipbuilding scheme to incentivise Indian shipyards till 2035

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) is working on a new shipbuilding scheme, which would incentivise Indian shipyards till 2035 by various measures, a senior government official has said. Ports, Shipping and Waterways Secretary T K Ramachandran further said with the new policy, India will endeavour to be among the top 10 shipbuilding nations by 2030 and the top five by 2047, from 22nd in the world at present. "Yes, this ministry is working on a new shipbuilding scheme, which would incentivise Indian shipyards till 2035 by various measures," he told PTI. Ramachandran also said global cruise major MSC Cruises, based out of Geneva, has expressed willingness to deploy their ships for domestic itinerary. He said MoPSW in coordination with Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is planning to have a JV between Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) and oil marketing companies to own large tankers. "The model of ownership is still to be decided depending upon demand requirement

Fire on ship off Goa coast under control, says ICG official; 1 member dead

The fire that broke out on July 19 on a merchant navy ship off the coast of Goa is under control, a senior Indian Coast Guard official said on Sunday, adding one crew member had died in the blaze. MV Maersk Frankfurt, carrying 1,154 containers, including some with dangerous cargo like benzene and sodium cyanate, had caught fire some 102 nautical miles off the coast of Goa while on its way from Mundra in Gujarat to Colombo in Sri Lanka. Dry chemical powder that was spread through helicopters on Saturday helped to a large extent in controlling the fire, ICG Deputy Inspector General Manoj Bhatia told PTI. There is no fire in the portion in which the dangerous cargo is stocked, the ICG deputy inspector general asserted. "The firefighting operation is still on. The fire is under control. I would not say it is fully doused. Four ships are already in the area and also helicopters are taking regular sorties. The ICG spread dry chemical powder through helicopters on Saturday, which has ...

Ship built by GRSE to explore Indian Ocean for rare minerals, says official

A ship to be built by defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) as part of its pact with a Goa-based government institution will explore the deep Indian Ocean for rare minerals and metals, officials said on Thursday. With a length of 89.5 metres, it will be the largest research vessel to be built in an Indian shipyard for deep sea exploration, a spokesperson of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa said in a release. The vessel will be deployed for undertaking deep sea scientific surveys and sampling towards the Deep Ocean Mission of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, he said. It will have an all-weather capability and capacity to carry 34 scientists at a time and is expected to serve India for the next 30 years, he said. The vessel, to be built by the Kolkata-headquartered GRSE in 36 months at a contract value of Rs 839.55 crore, will "explore the deep Indian Ocean for rare minerals and metals as part of India's Deep Ocean Mission," the rele

Titanic undertakes its first expedition to ship's wreckage in 14 years

The company that owns the salvage rights to the Titanic is undertaking its first expedition to the ship's wreckage in years, and those involved in the mission said they have both heavy hearts and lofty goals for a trip happening a year after a submersible disaster involving another firm killed five people. RMS Titanic Inc., a Georgia-based firm, holds the legal rights to salvage the wreck of the ship, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912. The company's first expedition to the site since 2010 launched Friday from Providence, Rhode Island. The voyage arrives as the worldwide community of undersea explorers is still reeling from the deadly implosion of an experimental submersible en route to the Titanic in June 2023. The Titan submersible disaster killed all five people on board, including Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who was director of underwater research for RMS Titanic. This summer's mission to the Titanic means even more with the passing of Nargeolet, known as Mr. Titanic by ..

Cargo traffic across 12 major Indian ports surges 6.8 % to 69.8 MT in June

Cargo traffic across 12 major Indian ports rose 6.8 per cent to 69.08 million tonnes (MT) in June from 64.69 MT in the year-ago month, with ten ports showing positive growth while the remaining two witnessed a decline. Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Maharashtra recorded the highest growth in cargo handling at 15.12 per cent during the reporting month, followed by Cochin Port with 15.12 per cent, Kamarajar Port (10.70 per cent), Deendayal Port (8.57 per cent) and New Mangalore Port (8.53 per cent), according to the data released by the major ports' apex body Indian Ports Association (IPA). The 12 major ports are Deendayal (Kandla), Mumbai, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore (Kamarajar), Tuticorin (V O Chidambaranar), Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port. According to the IPA, VO Chidambaranar Port's cargo traffic grew 7.73 per cent and Paradip Port 7.41 per cent growth, respectively, during the previous month. SMP Kolkata Port ...

Baltimore Bridge collapse: Ship behind mishap to be refloated and moved

The container ship that caused the deadly collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge is scheduled to be refloated on Monday and moved to a nearby marine terminal. The Dali has remained at the collapse site since it lost power and crashed into one of the bridge's supporting columns on March 26, killing six construction workers and snarling traffic into Baltimore Harbour. High tide Monday morning is expected to bring the best conditions for crews to start refloating and transit work on the ship, according to a statement from the Key Bridge Response Unified Command. Up to five tugboats will escort the Dali on its 2.5-mile (4-kilometre) path to the marine terminal. The work is expected to last at least 21 hours. Crews conducted a controlled demolition on May 13 to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed bridge. The Dali experienced four electrical blackouts within about 10 hours before leaving the Port of Baltimore for Sri Lanka and hitting the bridge, according t

Private ports outpace central peers in FY24; register double-digit growth

Coastal cargo major booster for private ports last fiscal

Ships moved 9% faster at Indian major ports in FY24 as infra improved

Greater participation by private companies is another reason for improvement

Ship that brought down Baltimore bridge to be removed from collapse site

At the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, crews plan to refloat and remove the grounded Dali container ship within roughly the next 10 days, allowing more maritime traffic to resume through Baltimore's port. The ship, which lost power and crashed into one of the bridge's supporting columns, has been stationary amid the wreckage since the March 26 collapse. Officials expect to have it removed by May 10, according to a news release Tuesday from the Port of Baltimore. Six members of a roadwork crew plunged to their deaths in the disaster. Four bodies have been recovered while two remain missing. Crews have identified areas of interest where they believe the bodies could be, but they've been unable to access them so far, Maryland State Police Superintendent Roland Butler said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. We're working in generalisations of areas where we think they should be, based on sonar images and other mapping techniques, he said. Officials declined to

Sri Lanka unaware of ship carrying toxic waste from the US, say official

Sri Lanka is not yet aware of the nature of hazardous materials on the cargo vessel that collided with a key Baltimore bridge last week as it was supposed to declare the contents of containers only 72 hours before the time of arrival into the Colombo Port, officials here said. The Singapore-flagged container ship vessel Dali, which was mainly manned by an Indian crew, collided with the 2.6-km-long four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore in the early hours of March 26. The 984-foot cargo ship was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka. The ship was carrying 764 tonnes of hazardous materials as reported by the US media. According to the information available, there are 57 containers with such toxic materials that can be categorised under the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code. The waste included mostly corrosives, flammables, miscellaneous hazardous materials, and Class-9 hazardous materials, including explosives & lithium-ion batteries in 56 ...

Engineers find limited-access channel to Baltimore port to open in 4 weeks

Engineers working to clear the wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore have said that they expect to be able to restore navigation in and out of the Port of Baltimore by the end of this month. The bridge collapsed within seconds on March 26 after being struck by the cargo ship Dali, which lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore, bound for Sri Lanka. The ship issued a mayday alert with just enough time for police to stop traffic, but not enough to save a roadwork crew filling potholes on the bridge. Authorities believe six workers plunged to their deaths in the Patapsco River; two bodies have been recovered so far. Two others survived. The US Army Corps of Engineers announced a tentative timeline Thursday, saying in a news release that it expects to open a limited access channel to the port within the next four weeks measuring some 280 feet wide by 35 feet deep (85 metres by 11 metres). The channel would support one-way traffic in and out of the port for ...

Baltimore bridge cleanup: Maritime terminal prepares for redirected ships

The only maritime shipping terminal currently operating in the Port of Baltimore is preparing to process an influx of redirected ships as crews continue clearing the mangled wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. Tradepoint Atlantic will unload and process an estimated 10,000 vehicles over the next 15 days, according to a statement from the company. That includes six regularly scheduled ships and nine that have been redirected since the deadly bridge collapse blocked access to the port's main terminals, which remains closed to traffic in a logistical nightmare for shipping along the East Coast. Crews opened a second temporary channel through the collapse site Tuesday, but it's too shallow for most commercial vessels to pass through. The two existing channels are meant primarily for vessels involved in the cleanup effort, which began last week. Work continues to open a third channel that will allow larger vessels to pass through the bottleneck and restore more commercia

Baltimore collapse: Ship crew to remain on board until probe is completed

The crew of 20 Indians and a Sri Lankan of the container vessel that collided with a key Baltimore bridge last week is busy with their normal duties and will remain on board until the investigation into the accident is completed. It is confirmed there are 21 crew members on board. The crew members are busy with their normal duties on the ship as well as assisting the National Transportation Safety Board and Coast Guard investigators on board," a spokesperson of Grace Ocean Pte and Synergy Marine told PTI. The crew is on board the container vessel Dali that collided with the 2.6-km-long four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore in the early hours of March 26. The 984-foot cargo ship was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka. On how long the crew would have to stay on board the ship, the spokesperson said, At this time, we do not know how long the investigation process will take and until that process is complete, the crew will remain on board. The Singapore-flag