Ship with 700 tons gold disappears in Russia's far east sea after storm

Moscow, Oct 31: A cargo ship carrying 700 tons of gold vanished off Russia's far east coast due to stormy weather on Sunday.

According to media reports, the vessel named Amurskaya, disappeared in the Sea of Okhotsk. The ship sent a distress call but the tanker which responded to the call for help found no trace of the vessel.

Reports state that search and rescue efforts have been hampered by bad weather. Amurskaya was carrying gold worth $7.17 million.  

The cargo carrier Amurskoe disappeared in the Sea of Okhotsk while carrying 700 metric tons of gold ore.  

 According to experts quoted by RIA Novosti, each ton of ore contains an average of just six ounces of gold.  

With gold prices at $1,708 an ounce, the ships would presumably be carrying over $7.17 million worth of gold. 

Three ships, an amphibious aircraft and a helicopter are undertaking search and rescue operations to find the eight crewmembers of the lost vessel. 
Reports state that search and rescue efforts have been hampered by bad weather. Amurskaya was carrying gold worth $7.17 million.  

The cargo carrier Amurskoe disappeared in the Sea of Okhotsk while carrying 700 metric tons of gold ore.  

 According to experts quoted by RIA Novosti, each ton of ore contains an average of just six ounces of gold.  

With gold prices at $1,708 an ounce, the ships would presumably be carrying over $7.17 million worth of gold. 

Three ships, an amphibious aircraft and a helicopter are undertaking search and rescue operations to find the eight crewmembers of the lost vessel. 

A sonar distress beacon was automatically activated near Feklistov Island in the Shantarsk Archipelago on Sunday, Russia’s Emergency Ministry reported

5 Reasons One Should Not Miss to Cruise Suez Canal

Sailing In Sand..!!

Travelling on cruises can be a life changing experience. Right from the choice of destination to the ultimate fun on the trip, a good cruise vacation can change your definition of holidaying. However, when it comes to cruise vacations, some things are definitely better than the others. Missing out on them would be a sad thing. Suez Canal cruise is one of them.

Flaunting a rich history, Suez Canal is a fascinating structure and missing out a chance to explore it through the cruises would be a shame. Here are five reasons why you should not miss out on such an enthralling experience:

1.       Witness Rich History

Istanbul

Suez Canal was built a long time ago, to make travel easier and traveling distance shorter. Once that happened, the route connecting Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea was built. Once that happened, it became a major route for traders to travel from and to Egypt, this redefining the economic development of that area. However, it was a risky project and resulted in death of many workers working on it. Suez Canal has a history of its own which can be explored on every Suez Canal cruise.So if you wish to be a witness to the history, cruising Suez Canal would give you a great opportunity to explore such a historical structure firsthand.

2.       The Land of Mysteries: Egypt 

It is hard to think about Suez Canal and miss out on Egypt. That is one major highlight of every Suez Canal cruise. Most of the Suez Canal tours offer a chance to take you to different parts of Egypt, exploring all its secrets and much more. Now visit the amazing waters of Egypt like the Safaga or the wonders of the world- Pyramids or be awed by the sphinxes or feel the back of your neck stand up on hearing stories of Egyptian mummies. Sometimes exciting, sometimes enthralling but always memorable- this chance to explore Egypt like never before is exclusive to Suez Canal cruises, and something that you should definitely not miss out on.

3.       Exotic Destinations

Sure, Egypt happens to be a very lucrative name on the list of destinations of when you are out to cruise Suez Canal. But it is definitely not the only one. It gets better. The destinations ports and smaller stoppages on the way sum up to make a great list of exotic places that you will get to see while cruising the Suez Canal.

Including the likes of Egyptian sculptures, beaches and nightlife of Israel, history of Jordon and so much more- it’s all on the itinerary and you get to experience all of this while on a Suez Canal cruise.

4.       Shopping

The best thing about the entire destination list of Suez Canal tours is that it is so diverse that everyone can find their own personal reason to enjoy it. If you have a liking for the crafts then Suez Canal cruises can turn out to be a great experience for you. Taking you to minute parts of places like Israel and Jordan which are a haven for anyone who appreciates a good craft, this trip can be like the soul food for the explorer inside you who is always looking for new things. So cruise Suez Canal to explore the craft of its destinations, something you will not get a chance to do anywhere else.

5.       Natural beauty and architectural wonders

Cruising Suez Canal starts with a departure from a port onto the waters of this man made structure. Connecting Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea, this structure has a lot of beautiful marine and land structures to see. While on the waters, you can expect to be awed by the expertise with which it has been built, making such a significant difference in the history. But that’s not all. Every time you step on a part of this excursion, you will be blown away by the natural beauty of each one of them like the coral reefs, fish and coastlines to the Nile River in Egypt to the architectural masterpieces all over Israel. The list keeps getting longer and better. Cruising Suez Canal can be a great holiday choice but it’s not just that. With its delicate balance of natural wonders and human genius, this is one cruise trip that will cater to the fun side of you while not leaving the traveler inside you thirsty either.

The MV Tricolor.

The MV Tricolor

The MV Tricolor, a Norwegian ship carrying 3,000 automobiles, sunk in the English Channel during 2002. The ship was so heavy that the salvage team had to cut it into nine pieces with a diamond-encrusted wire in order to lift it.

Port Of Oakland

Port Of Oakland

A huge gas turbine engine

A huge gas turbine engine 

A huge gas turbine engine of a ship being lifted for repairs

Global Shipbuilding reports mild recovery: Clarksons

New Delhi : The global shipbuilding industry has seen a mild recovery as orders for new vessels rebounded to more than 3 million deadweight tonnes last month,and Chinese shipyards were still leading the industry,according to the latest statistics released by Clarksons Plc,the world's leading provider of shipping services .
A total of 79 new vessels,totaling 3.2 million deadweight tonnes,were ordered in shipyards across the world in September.
The volume was 7.7% up from the same period last year and 9.6% up from August,the data showed. China still leads the world shipbuilding industry in new orders.
Chinese yards received orders for 34 new vessels,totaling 1.92 million deadweight tonnes,accounting for 60% of the world's total new-order volume and an 81% increase from the same period last year.

Import duty on white sugar may be hiked

New Delhi : In order to check flooding of the domestic market, the Government is considering doubling the import duty on white sugar to 20 per cent from the existing 10 per cent, while the 10 per cent duty on raw sugar import may be scrapped, the Minister of State for Food, Prof. K. V. Thomas, said.
"We have received different proposals. One is to increase duty on white sugar imports to 20 per cent and another to scrap duty on raw sugar imports. We will discuss the issue with the Agriculture and Commerce Ministries and take it to the Cabinet in about 15 days," the Minister said.
"Duty free imports will create havoc and our industry will be totally crushed. If imports are allowed when there is surplus sugar, prices will crash to below Rs 3,000 a quintal," said Mr S. L. Gupta, Secretary, UP Sugar Mills Association

L&T shipbuilding arm to raise 2,500 crore to replace loans raised for Tamil Nadu unit

MUMBAI: Larsen & Toubro's shipbuilding arm plans to raise 2,500 crore through bonds to replace existing loans raised for its unit at Kattupalli in Tamil Nadu, sources in the know of the matter .
L&T, which has an established shipbuilding facility at Hazira in Gujarat, has set up an ambitious shipyard-cum-port at Kattupalli at a total cost of 4,700 crore, which has been financed through 80% debt and 20% equity. The refinance may help the company reduce the interest rate by 150-200 basis points, analysts said. L&T Shipbuilding will raise the funds in two tranches of 1,200 crore and 1,300 crore, respectively.
It will raise 1,200 crore through 5-year bonds, which would have a call option after the third and fourth years at 8.95%.

Maersk Line wins Lloyds List Environment award for the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent

The Lloyd’s List Middle East and Indian Subcontinent Awards 2012 was held at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai. The delegation from Maersk Line was thrilled to be named the winner of the Environment Award.
Copenhagen : Maersk Line wins Lloyds List Environment Award for the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent.
The Lloyd’s List Middle East and Indian Subcontinent Awards 2012 was held at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai. The delegation from Maersk Line was thrilled to be named the winner of the Environment Award.
The award was given for Maersk Line’s Sustainability Progress Report 2011, aka “Route 2”, and the innovative website that accompanied it.
The jury’s explanation for choosing Maersk Line was as follows:
“Maersk Line introduced a new level of transparency on its sustainability initiatives to ensure that customers have a real choice on the environment. The effort did indeed set a new level of transparency that could help the industry follow suit. Openly criticizing the shipping industry for lacking disclosure on environmental performance, they offer a high degree of data granularity, allowing customers to see the effect of CO2 emissions and efforts to reduce them will have across their supply chains.”
Earlier this year, Maersk Line launched its sustainability  progress  report “Route 2” (http://maersklineroute2.com/) with a message to the industry: New and higher standards are needed. Maersk is charting a more sustainable course by focusing on raising the bar for the industry, delivering less CO2 per shipment and ensuring best CO2  data  in the industry.
Timothy Paul, Maersk Line’s Sustainability Manager in the West Central Asia Liner Operations Cluster (WCA LOC), accepted the award on stage on behalf of Maersk Line, saying: “This is great recognition for Maersk’s environmental efforts and acknowledges our Centre colleagues’ superb efforts in developing a high calibre sustainability  progress  report ‘Route 2’!”
Rob Brummer, head of the WCALOC, was equally delighted, saying: “This award puts us in the right spot to further develop sustainability in the WCALOC region.”  

Wind Turbine Installation Vessel Pacific Orca Arrives in Denmark

Vessel Pacific Orca

The self-elevating and self-propelled vessels were designed for Swire Blue Ocean, Denmark, for installation of offshore wind turbines and support in the offshore oil & gas sector.

The first of the two vessels was delivered from Samsung Geoje Shipyard in October 2012, and the second is expected to follow in the winter of 2013.

The vessels are equipped with six 105 m long truss-type legs and a high-speed rack-and-pinion jacking system, which enables them to jack to a safe height of 17 m above the water on 60 m water depth.

The legs can, however, be lengthened by 20 m, in which case the vessels can jack to 22 m on 75 m water depth, where they can survive even the most severe storm conditions.

The 1200 t leg-mounted crane is capable of installing 500 t heavy nacelles on top of turbine towers 120 m above the sea, and the 4300 m2 cargo deck has space for up to twelve 3.6 MW turbines.

The relatively fine hull lines in the bow gives the vessels a good speed even in higher waves, and with 4 stern thrusters, 2 bow thrusters, 2 drop-down thrusters and a DP-2 dynamic positioning system the vessels have state of the art maneuverability.

The accommodation holds 111 crew single cabins with private bathrooms as well as all necessary crew facilities and offices, and a helideck is fitted forward above the accommodation block.

Norse Management Orders Two Bulk Carriers from China

Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding

UK’s marine and investment management company Norse Management placed an order for a pair of 82,000 dwt dry bulk carriers with Chinese shipyard Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, SeatradeAsia reports.

The vessels’ price is $28m each and they should be delivered in the second half of 2014.

Under the contract there is an option for three more vessels with the same specifications. The option exercise is expected by the end of this year.

Queen Elizabeth's

HMS Queen Elizabeth's brass and steel propellers

Key International Marine Environment Protection Convention Celebrates 40 Years Of Progress

The use of the world’s oceans as a dumping ground for harmful wastes has been systematically regulated and reduced under the terms of an international convention that, this year, celebrates 40 years since it was first adopted.

The “Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, 1972″, usually referred to as the “London Convention”, was one of the first global conventions designed to protect the marine environment from human activities. It has been in force since 1975.

IMO

The contracting Parties to the 1972 London Convention (and its 1996 Protocol) will meet at the London headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), from 29 October to 2 November 2012. During this meeting they will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention, which took place on 13 November 1972.

The objective of the London Convention is to promote the effective control of all sources of marine pollution and to take all practicable steps to prevent pollution of the sea by dumping of wastes and other matter. Currently, 87 States are Parties to it.

In 1996, the “London Protocol” was agreed, to further modernize the Convention and, eventually, to replace it. Under the Protocol, all dumping is prohibited, except for possibly acceptable wastes on the so-called “reverse list”. This includes dredged material, sewage sludge, fish wastes, inert, inorganic geological material (e.g. mining wastes), organic material of natural origin, and carbon dioxide streams from carbon dioxide capture processes for sequestration. The London Protocol entered into force on 24 March 2006 and currently has 42 States Parties.

The 40 years since the London Convention was adopted have left a strong legacy of tangible successes from which both the marine environment and mankind have benefited. The unregulated dumping and incineration activities that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s have been halted.

Amendments that were adopted in 1993 and entered into force a year later brought in a total ban on the dumping into the sea of low-level radioactive wastes.  In addition, within two years of their adoption, by 31 December 1995, they phased out the dumping of industrial wastes and banned the incineration at sea of industrial waste and sewage sludge.

Parties to the Convention agreed to control dumping by implementing regulatory programmes to assess the need for, and the potential impact of, dumping. They eliminated dumping of certain types of waste and, gradually, made this regime more restrictive by promoting sound waste management and pollution prevention. Prohibitions are in force for dumping of industrial and radioactive wastes, as well as for incineration at sea of industrial waste and sewage sludge. And as mentioned earlier, under the Protocol all dumping is now prohibited, except for the so called “reverse list”.

A comprehensive series of guidelines on dumping have been developed under the auspices of the Convention and Protocol, notably:

• Generic guidelines and comprehensive specific guidelines for all wastes on the reverse list

• Guidance on implementation of the London Protocol at the national level
• Guidelines for the sampling and analysis of dredged material intended for disposal at sea (to assist Parties with limited capacity or resources, advice on the application of low-technology techniques for assessing dredged material has also been developed)
• Guidelines for the application of the ‘de minimis’ concept, to assist in making judgements on whether materials for dumping could be exempt from radiological controls or whether a specific radiological assessment is needed
• Guidance for the development of Action Lists and Action Levels for Dredged Material, to assist regulators and policy makers in relation to dredged material proposed for disposal at sea.

In addition, formal advice has been developed concerning the management of spoilt cargoes aboard vessels; best management practices for removal of anti-fouling coatings from ships and the placement of artificial reefs, and a technical co-operation and assistance programme has been established to assist with capacity building for waste assessment and management, and in developing national regulations to comply with, and implement, the London Protocol.

Contracting Parties to the LP have recently taken ground-breaking steps to mitigate the impacts of increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by amending the LP to regulate carbon capture and sequestration in sub-sea geological formations.  In 2006, the LP Contracting Parties adopted amendments to Annex I of the Protocol to regulate carbon capture and sequestration in sub-seabed geological formations. In 2009, the LP was further amended to address the issue of export of waste for dumping purposes.

Since 2007, the Contracting Parties have taken steps to develop a global, transparent and effective control and regulatory mechanism for ocean fertilization and other activities that fall within the scope of the LC and LP and that may cause harm to the environment, including marine geo-engineering activities. In 2010, an assessment framework for scientific research involving ocean fertilization was adopted.

A Risk Assessment and Management Framework was developed to ensure compatibility with Annex 2 to the LP, identify relevant gaps in knowledge, and reach a view on the implications of this storage activity for the marine environment.

All in all, the Contracting Parties to the London Convention and Protocol have developed a wealth of experience regarding marine pollution prevention issues, interpretation of the Convention and Protocol, licensing, compliance and field monitoring activities.

When they meet at IMO from 29 October to 2 November 2012, the agenda will include, among other items:

• Further development of regulatory controls on ocean fertilization and other similar activities and the guidelines for CO2 sequestration to include transboundary issues

• A review of compliance issues under the London Protocol

• A review of the status report and planning for technical co-operation activities

• A review of the joint MEPC-LC/LP guidance on management of spoilt cargoes

• A discussion on matters related to the management of radioactive waste

• The finalization of the publication “The London Protocol: What it is and how to implement it”, and

• A review of the Joint Long-term Programme for the period 2013 to 2015.

Forty years after its adoption, the London Convention and its Protocol are still providing a relevant and important framework within which the international community is tackling key issues surrounding the protection of the marine environment.

Royal Caribbean Likely to Order Third Oasis-Class Ship

Royal Caribbean (RCL) hopes to order a new Oasis-type ship–at 5,400 berths, they're the biggest cruise vessels in the world–by year’s end.

The company’s first Oasis-class ship had a contract price of about $1B back in 2006, but RCL says a new ship should cost less/berth and it doesn’t expect to accept delivery until 2016, giving the company years to build up money.

“The Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas have proven themselves to be exceptionally attractive ships by generating the highest guest satisfaction ratings in the fleet coupled with very compelling financial returns,” said Royal Caribbean chairman, Richard Fain. “Ordering another such ship for delivery in 2016, at a lower cost, with better energy efficiency is very consistent with our balanced goals of prudent growth, return improvement and debt reduction.”

RCL and other cruise lines cooled capacity growth amid the financial crisis, delighting investors with less-encumbered cash flow. RCL’s plans follows rival Norwegian Cruise’sorder of 4,200-berth ship earlier this month, hinting the industry may be coming out of a capacity slumber.

Alang, Gujarat: The World’s Biggest Ship Breaking Yard & A Dangerous Environmental Time Bomb

Alang in Gujarat is the world’s biggest ship breaking yard with hundreds of ships getting scrapped each year. With increase in the yard’s popularity around the world, there has also been a steep increase in the number of threats posed by the ship breaking yard to the marine environment and laborers working there.

Unlike other countries, India possesses very loose marine environmental protection policies, which have lead to irreversible harm to the surrounding flora and fauna. Several beautiful coral reefs near to the Indian coasts have been completely destroyed and the marine life the affected area has gone haywire.

Moreover, Alang has now become an official storage facility for toxic wastes, radioactive elements, poisonous gases, and waste, unusable oil. These toxic have not only entered into the marine food chain by contaminating the oceans but have greatly affected the health of workers, who already live in dilapidated condition with least safety measures and poor health care facilities.

We bring to you an exclusive video of the Alang Shipyard, made and presented by NDTV, India.

Japan: ClassNK Certifies World’s First Specially Built Nickel Ore Carrier

The world’s largest classification society ClassNK, announced that the world’s first specialized vessel for the carriage of Nickel Ore has been built and registered to the NK class.

The vessel, the Jules Garnier II, was built by Naikai Zosen Corporation and delivered to Japanese shipping major JX Shipping Co. Ltd on 19 September 2012, and is the first vessel in the world to be recognized as a Specially Constructed Cargo Ship for the carriage of Nickel Ore in accordance with the IMO’s IMSBC Code. The announcement followed a monthly meeting of the Society’s Classification Committee, which reviewed and officially certified the vessel’s registration on 22 October 2012.

Nickel Ore cargoes can liquefy during transport, drastically impairing the ship’s stability and safety, and these cargoes have been cited as the cause of four vessel casualties and the loss of 66 seafarers in 2010-11. INTERCARGO has since named Nickel Ore “the world’s most dangerous cargo” and efforts are underway at the IMO to strengthen the International Maritime Solid Bulk Code (IMSBC), which regulates the loading and transport of bulk cargoes such as Nickel Ore.

The ISMBC code currently requires that the moisture content (MC) of cargoes that may liquefy be tested prior to their loading onboard ships, and forbids non-specialized vessels from loading cargoes with an MC greater than the specified Transportable Moisture Limit (TML). However, questions have been raised about the testing procedures and validity of moisture content test results for Nickel Ore, and there is growing concern about whether nickel ore can safely be carried by standard vessels. While the ISMBC code allows for these dangerous cargoes to be carried by “Specially Constructed Cargo Ships”, no definition or requirements for such vessels are included in the code itself.

In order to address this issue and ensure the safety of the world’s bulk carrier fleet, ClassNK began carrying out independent research on the physical characteristics of Nickle Ore in 2009. Based on this research, ClassNK developed the world’s first hull structure and stability requirements for building such “Specially Constructed Cargo Vessels” in 2011, and released them for use by the maritime industry as part of its Guidelines for the Safe Carriage of Nickel Ore in March 2012. These requirements have since been approved by the government of Panama and Japan for use in vessels flagged with their administrations. They have further earned the recognition of INTERCARGO as well as the wider maritime industry, and ClassNK was presented with the “Safety Award” at the Lloyd’s List Global Awards in September 2012 for its contribution to the safe transportation of Nickel Ore.

The 27,200 dwt Jules Garnier II is the first vessel in the world to apply ClassNK’s new requirements in its construction and makes use longitudinal bulkheads in in its cargo holds to ensure stability and structural strength even when liquefied nickel ore cargoes are loaded. The ship’s design earned the approval of the Panamanian government in September 2012, and with its completion in September 2012, is the first and currently only vessel to be certified as safe to carry liquefied Nickel Ore cargoes in line with the IMSBC code. The vessel is also the first to earn ClassNK’s new SCCS notation for safe carriage of nickel ore in recognition of its special construction.

Commenting on construction and registration of the vessel, ClassNK Operating Officer and Hull Department General Manager Mitsuhiko Kidogawa said:“With the completion of this vessel and the successful implementation of these new standards, we have realized an important step in our efforts to ensure the safety of vessels and their crews.”

“While this is an important achievement, we are continuing our research on nickel ore and other cargoes that can liquefy during transport, and we hope that we can develop methods for existing vessels to safely transport these dangerous cargoes, as well.”

BaltShip AS Transports the World’s Longest Wind Turbine Blade from Denmark

Thursday 18 October, the BaltShip started the transport of the world’s longest wind turbine blade from SSP Technology in Kirkeby, Denmark.

With a length of 83.5 meters and a rotor diameter of 171.2 meters, the blade is by far the largest produced to date. Passing the blade by car at the speed of 50 km/h would take 6 seconds.

Many people watched the gigantic and unique blade depart from the factory, whereupon it went on a 170 kilometer long journey by truck to Esbjerg. From Esbjerg, the blade was shipped 122 NM to Bremerhaven in Germany, where the test facilities are located.

The blade was ordered by Samsung Heavy Industries and the transport was handled by the BaltShip Industry department. Delivery took place – on time – less than 92 hours after departure.

UK: Rolls-Royce Creates Dedicated Team Focused on Naval Ship Design

Rolls-Royce has been at the forefront of innovative ship design for nearly 40 years, designing over 800 vessels, used mainly in the commercial sector.

This new team will develop vessels for customers such as navies, coast guards and other maritime agencies. The new designs, which include variants of the award winning Environship merchant ship concept, will leverage innovative and cost effective technologies from commercial Rolls-Royce ship designs and products, adapted and integrated for the specific requirements of naval operations.

Garry Mills, Rolls-Royce, Chief of Naval Ship Design, said: “There has been a growing trend for commercial marine technology to cross over into the naval market, delivering cost reduction and proven capability. Governmental customers are looking for cost effective and innovative ships and with Rolls-Royce already hugely experienced in ship design, coupled to the world’s largest marine product portfolio, we can offer integrated ‘whole ship’ solutions suited to the demanding roles of the world’s navies.

“Naval vessels typically involve the integration of many disparate and complex technologies, into what tend to be unique ships. We have some exciting designs under development, bringing together world leading capability in propulsion, control systems and deck machinery into advanced hull forms.”

One of the Rolls-Royce designs includes a replenishment ship for refueling and supplying naval fleets and is available in the 9,000 to 25,000 deadweight tonne range. The design is based on the Rolls-Royce Environship concept, featuring a wave piercing bow and hybrid electric propulsion system which increases operation efficiency while reducing fuel consumption.

The design team will focus on offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), survey ships and support vessels, rather than combatant ships such as frigates and destroyers.

Global ports join hands to improve Shipping

Leaders from the world's seven hub ports gathered in Shanghai vowing to join hands to cope with the challenging economic conditions.
Operators of seven ports — PSA International, Hutchison Port Holdings, APM Terminals, DP World, Port of Long Beach, Port of Rotterdam and Shanghai International Port (Group) Co Ltd (SIPG) — had their delegates attend the First Global Ports Leaders’ Conference in Shanghai.
The conference will become an annual event and serve as a port leaders' communication and exchange platform.

The delegates from the seven ports agreed to strengthen their bilateral or multi-lateral partnerships, jointly improve industrial standards, facilitate technology innovation and accelerate the integrated development of these ports.
By sharing experience, the seven ports will be able to learn from each other in the areas of operations, marketing, information application and safety management among other activities.
Choosing Shanghai as the venue for the first port summit has highlighted Shanghai's role as a global shipping center, said Chen Xuyuan, chairman of China’s largest port operator, SIPG.
SIPG processed 24.22 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs of containers) in the first nine months of this year, a growth of 1.9 percent year-on-year, according to Chen.
"It seems our yearly goal of 32.5 million TEUs is reachable. Therefore, SIPG will remain the world's No 1 (container port)," said Chen.
The 2013 Global Ports Leader's Exchange will be held in Singapore, with its theme centering on environment, safety and security.

India now trade-surplus with all Saarc partners

New Delhi : For the first time in years, India has become trade surplus with all  the South Asian countries, besides registering a 12.2% annual increase in overall Intra-Saarc trade at $15.5 billion in 2011-12. While India’s exports with its Saarc partners increased 11.78%, imports rose 14.96%, according to provisional figures obtained from the Commerce Ministry. New Delhi used to enjoy a surplus in trade with all the Saarc countries except Bhutan for the four year preceding 2011-12. Last year,it posted a surplus with the neighboring kingdom as well by $1.08 million. Sri Lanka is India’s largest trading partner in the Saarc followed by Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan. India has a free-trade pact with Sri Lanka, while Nepal enjoys duty-free access to Indian markets. Trade with other Saarc countries, namely Bhutan, Afghanistan and Maldives, is bolstered with their the least developed country (LDC) status.The potentialof tradeamongSaarc nations is settomultiply with the increased focus of these countries to tap Asian markets More aggressively in the wake of  the continuing global crisis that the resultant slump in trade with Europe and the US.
Another factor that would give an impetus to intra- Saarc Trade The Recent Decision Of Pakistan to grant most-favoured nation (MFN) status to India, which means non-discriminatory treatment to the country's exporters. Besides petroleum products, India exports pharmaceutical products, machinery, cotton and sugar, among others to all these countries. Petroleum products are not exported to Pakistan at present.
“We opened up the entire South Asian Free Trade Agreement (Safta) a few years back and the sensitive list in down to 25 tariff lines for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) with the exception of liqueur and tobacco as they are considered demerit goods. Our intention is to increase trade with our neighbours,” said a Commerce Ministry official.

Saarc

In fact, the Cabinet recently approved the reduction of 30% (264 tariff lines,) from the Safta Sensitive list for Non Least Developed Countries (NLDCs), allowing the peak tariff  rates to reduce to 5% within three years, as per agreed Safta process of tariff liberalization. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal benefited as a result of this trade liberalisation move. However, the trend of increasing trade surpluses has worried the ministry and experts alike who fear that the favourable trade balance of $10.5 billion may lead to other countries becoming insecure about India pushing too much for its exports in the subcontinent. “We urgently need to address the issue of adverse trade balance that every SAARC country has with us as we can't carry on with huge surpluses in our favour,”the official added.
“We need a healthy balance of exports and imports and extend the Safta concessions else other countries might act against us for not creating market opportunities for them.
We need to give more for greater political will,”explained Ajay Sahai, Director General and CEO,Federation of Indian Export Organisations.
Another fear pertains to the slowdown in the US and European Union, which might affect Saarc and, there by,intra-Saarc trade. “If exports from Saarc decline, then the capacity to import will also fall. The Saarc nations will not flood the Indian markets with imports if global trade declines. So, it is not an opportunity for the regions,”noted Sahai

Crew Vessel

Crew Vessel.

Great Work..!!

Amazing photograph of Container Ship Salvage...

What are Chinamax Ships?

Classifying vessels after port or harbor facilities is a popular and common norm in the maritime domain. Chinamax is a classification of ship type based on the dead weight tonnage or carrying capacity of bulk carriers.
Often classed under the ambit of VLOCs (Very Large Ore Carriers), the Chinamax ships are also synonymously tagged as Valemax vessels. Although not an official categorization  Valemax ships gain their name and reputation from their engaging company, the Brazilian shipping conglomerate Vale.

Brazil has been a key operator since the initial heydays of ore supplying operations to China with the Vale conglomerate strongly helping to address this demand. Although initially the most commonly utilised vessels to supply ores to the Oriental nation were the Capesize ships, in the year 2011, the company came up with its first purpose-built ore carrier ships, which came to be referred to as Chinamax ships and later on as Valemax ore carrying vessels.

The need to cater to Chinese demands for mass quantities of ore-based cargo in a cost-efficient way facilitated the development and rise of Chinamax vessels. Chinamax ships were thus primarily and solely intended to ply between Brazil and the various Chinese harbour facilities, to provide the required mass quantities of ores in the least time-period possible. Presently, just as the ore-based trade industry is not restricted to Brazil and China, even the utilisation of these bulk ships is not restricted only to the Chinese port and harbour facilities.

The categorisation of these bulk ships thereby entails to include all those harbour and port facilities that offer a faster unlading capacitance for the bulk ore-based cargo. Unlike other vessels’ classifications which are named for the meshing entryway limits set by authorities of important international water conduits, these bulk carrier ships are stipulated to certain preset dimensions and are amongst the world’s largest bulk carriers operating presently.

• The Chinamax vessels have a DWT (Dead Weight Tonnage) of up to 4, 00,000 tonnes

• These vessels measure about 360 metres lengthwise with a breadth of about 65 metres and a draft of about 25 metres

• About 35 vessels are expected to be launched by the Vale conglomerate under the Chinamax class of vessels in the year 2013

Problems Surrounding Chinamax Ships

Although the utilisation of Chinamax vessels bodes well in terms of management of time and high economic returns per voyage, owners and operators of smaller-sized bulk carrier ships feel that their returns have diminished.

Another aspect dimming the sheen on the efficiency of the largest bulk carriers is that of the number of port facilities that can cater to this variance of bulk cargo carrier.

While these are indeed well-contested points, maritime experts believe that the usage of these bulk carriers will help to streamline the maritime ore-based cargo operations, like no other previous yardsticks.

Shining over the deep blue sea

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New storage terminal at Ennore Port will ease LPG supply to TN

Beneficial to customers: (from left) G.K. Vasan, Union Minister of Shipping; S. Velumani, CMD, Ennore Port Ltd, and A.M. Rao, MD, Ennore Tank Terminals Pvt Ltd, at the dedication of LPG import-export facility at Ennore Port in Chennai on Oct 10 2012.

Facility built at an investment of Rs 250 cr can store up to 6 lakh tonnes

CHENNAI, OCT. 10: 

The new bulk marine liquid storage terminal that has come up at the Ennore Port may soon end the long waiting period for LPG refill cylinder in Tamil Nadu. The integrated bulk liquid jetty to store liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imported from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, will save a lot of time and hence prevent piling up of refill demand.

The LPG demand in the State totals 1.32 lakh tonnes a month against the indigenous availability of 32,000 tonnes. The remaining one lakh tonne is imported every month. Till date, the imported LPG used to be stored in facilities at terminals in Visakhapatnam and Mangalore ports, and brought by road to Tamil Nadu.

The new facility at Ennore can store up to six lakh tonnes. Dedicating the facility to the nation on Wednesday, Union Shipping Minister G. K. Vasan said it will benefit the consumers in the State in a big way.

In addition to the marine liquid terminal, the iron ore and non-TNEB coal terminals have also been developed through the public-private-partnership model at an investment of Rs 1,000 crore.

Ennore Tank Terminal Pvt Ltd has built the marine liquid storage terminal at an investment of Rs 250 crore. The laying of an LPG pipeline and mechanical unloading facilities in the port at an investment of Rs 82 crore have been completed.Besides, an additional storage capacity of 1.24 lakh kl for various petro-chemicals, at an investment of Rs 85 crore, has been installed by the company. The total investment in the project stands at Rs 417 crore, said A. Mallesh Rao, Managing Director, Ennore Tank Terminal.