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Published from Chennai and Circulated among the trade across the country RNI TNENG/2014/59741

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

8 Pages

International Maritime Organization Calls for Free Flow of Commerce by Sea Chennai

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Port Wings News Network he shipping industry must be prioritised as new restrictions surrounding the response to the Covid-19 pandemic come into force and start to hamper the delivery of food and medical supplies, according to maritime bodies.

“I urge a practical and pragmatic approach, in these unusual times, to issues like crew changeovers, resupply, repairs, survey and certification and licensing of seafarers,” said International Maritime Organization SecretaryGeneral Kitack Lim in a video statement. He called upon countries to not disrupt the flow of commerce by sea.

TRANSPORTATION OF ESSENTIAL GOODS BY SEA Other international organisations have also sounded the alarm.

“The irony of the situation is that governments that are dependent on the transportation of essential goods by sea, that will aid their citizens ability to get through this unprecedented crisis, are some of the same governments that are denying seafarers the right to go home and are restricting crew changeovers,” according to an open letter released by the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), a trade union.

“The ITF are calling on the vital role of seafarers in this extraordinary crisis to be recognised, and that they be treated as ‘key workers’, regardless of their nationality,” it adds.

Some 90 percent of all goods worldwide have been transported at some point via sea, according to the International Chamber of Shipping.

The difference in various port

protocols on the African continent alone are extremely varied, according to North, a UK-based international marine insurer that has logged the various guidelines that File Photo

must be followed.

In France, boats coming into port will be dealt with on a case-bycase basis, while Egypt reports no disruption in the Suez Canal, reports North.

Mauritania, Morocco and Port Sudan in Sudan are exercising strict ship curfews; Liberia’s Port of Monrovia is operational, while Libya’s maritime border is closed for the next three weeks with a potential to extend the closure.

Mozambique’s Matola and Maputo ports have prohibited any ship waste from being discharged; all waste must be incinerated aboard the vessel over fears that waste could spread Covid-19.

IMO chief Lim said he would be consulting with shipping and ports leaders worldwide in order to “develop sensible, practical and unified solutions.”

Even within port countries, the process for dealing with ship cargo varies. Australia, the United States, and India all operate their ports locally, says International Chamber of Shipping Communications Director Stuart Neil.

“When they began lockdowns in

India, for example, the ports closed and people found that they had no food,” Neil tells Radio France Internationale (RFI) via videolink.

“We had to work with the Indian governments, and also with the provinces — we’re finding out that you have different arrangements in different parts of one country,” he adds.

In the midst of trying to apply special regulations to ports, and make sure everyone is applying similar policies, sailors working on transport vessels are getting caught in the middle.

Most ports in Africa are preventing any crew from disembarking or from making any crew changes.

“We have problems with having crews trapped — our colleagues in the Philippines are trying to repatriate 30,000 Filipino seafarers, and hotels aren’t accepting them.

We’re trying to sort out those issues,” says UK-based Neil.

“Even in the UK there’s over 1,000 Indian seafarers trying to get repatriated. With the flights shutting down, it’s just difficult to get people moving,” he says.

VITAL THAT THE WORLD’S SEAFARERS ARE GRANTED EXEMPTIONS FROM TRAVEL BANS “It is vital that the world’s seafarers are granted exemptions from travel bans when joining or leaving their ships, in order to keep the world’s maritime supply chains functioning,” according to the statement by the ITF. While International Chamber of Shipping’s Neil says there have Contd. on page -2

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Wing 6 Feather 34

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Mansukh Mandaviya Holds Video Conference With Stakeholders of Ports to Deal With COVID-19 Situation New Delhi Port Wings News Network inister of Shipping (I/C) Shri Mansukh Mandaviya on 3 April held a meeting through video conference with the stakeholders of Ports including Port users,

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others to assess the challenges and concerns caused due to COVID-19 and lockdown in the country on the Port Operations.

The meeting was also attended by the Officers of the Ministry of Shipping and Chairpersons of all Major Ports.

Shri Mansukh Mandaviya sought support of all the stakeholders in this unprecedented crisis. He called for collaborative efforts for converting this Crisis into Opportunity for the Ports and Port operation so that the supply chain of the country can run smoothly.

Shri Mandaviya welcomed suggestions for the decongesting ports, management, welfare and safety of workers and other challenges Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State faced by the ports and Shipping (i/c) , Chemicals & Fertilisers, its stakeholders. Shri Government of India.

Mandaviya stressed upon the usage of state-of-the-art Courier and Cargo Services, technology in the port operation Representatives of the Custom and container management to Brokers Associations from the manage the future challenges various parts of the country, caused by COVID-19 pandemic.

Logistic service providers and The representatives raised the

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V.O.C Port Handles 36.08 Million...

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Apr. 8th - 14th Issue

International Maritime Organization...

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Wing 6 Feather 34

Coronavirus: China Coronated

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ou reap what you sow is a proverb, but China proved it wrong.

China is still well positioned to reap the benefits of a pandemic that originated in their country, according to experts who say Beijing is likely wrapping together agreements to donate or sell supplies with future deals, such as building 5G and other key infrastructure down the line.

China is seeking to expand its global influence during the coronavirus pandemic by painting itself as a powerful benefactor at a time when Beijing is facing accusations of concealing information about the initial outbreak. Beijing is touting its shipments of medical supplies to more than 100 countries, including the U.S., as a way to present itself as a global leader providing aid to those in need. But U.S. experts argue that projection is a mirage. Not only is China largely charging for the supplies, they said, it also comes with political strings attached.

That combination of power and charity was recently on display by a state-run TV station highlighting a cargo plane from Shanghai that landed in New York recently, bringing much-needed medical supplies and equipment: 12 million gloves, 1.7 million surgical masks, 130,000 N95 masks, 130,000 hand sanitizer units, 50,000 gowns and 36,000 thermometers.

Three more flights have arrived since then. The U.S. is also scheduled to receive aid from Honduras and Malaysia, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. China has been casting a wide net, providing medical supplies and equipment to countries in Europe, Southeast Asia, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.

In Spain, a recent study found that tests brought over from China correctly identified people with the virus only 30 percent of the time, the Spanish newspaper El País reported.

The Czech Republic had a similar experience, finding that a majority of coronavirus tests were faulty, with some reports estimating that as many as 80 percent were defective. Prague’s Health Ministry paid roughly $555,000 for the 100,000 test kits, while the Interior Ministry covered the costs for an additional 50,000 tests, according to Czech news reports.

And after receiving 1.3 million masks from China, the Dutch government had to recall roughly 600,000 defective ones that had been distributed to hospitals, the German media outlet Deutsche Welle reported. Chinese officials, in response, said critics should not “politicize” issues with the equipment. China has come under international criticism for how it handled the initial outbreak in Wuhan. Chinese officials downplayed the severity of the virus in early January, denying that it could be transmitted between humans and later refusing offers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization to come in and help analyse the virus early on.

An internal speech, later published in mid-February, revealed that Chinese President Xi Jinping knew about the outbreak roughly two weeks before he made his first public comments about it.

China has recently reported declining new infections, but under the government’s guidelines, asymptomatic cases were not being counted as confirmed cases in its tallies until Tuesday, when the government officials announced efforts to better screen for infected individuals who are not showing symptoms.The U.S. has warned its allies against allowing China to set up 5G networks, citing national security concerns that Beijing would be able to spy on digital traffic. But now China may be increasing its leverage; smaller countries accepting their aid may now be further compelled to accept 5G as well. And with the U.S. turning further inward amid the crisis, China increasingly has the opportunity to reach out to more countries in their time of need. It's not just what China is doing, but what we didn’t do, Sample The COVID-19 pandemic threatens the world with disaster. But the TEXT crisis also offers governments a rare chance to undertake policy changes that not only address the short-term public-health challenge, but also boost the global economy’s long-term growth potential.

While the Chinese did not actually invent all the interesting sayings attributed to them, it is true that the Chinese phrase for “crisis” consists of a character signifying “danger” and another for “opportunity.” Governments around the world should seize the moment and not waste the COVID-19 crisis.

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but fatigue will kick in, and we are working with Seafarers Unions and aid organisations to provide best practices and we’re working with satellite companies to expand broadband to provide coverage to the ships,” says Neil, discussing the welfare of sailors.

“There are mental health issues that we’re concerned about. We are trying to support them as much as we can,” he adds.

According to ClipperData, a risk analysis company, the amount of time for transporting grain and discharging the cargo has not increased. In March, grain shipments from France to subSaharan Africa have taken 23 days on average, says Olivia Liu, senior agriculture analyst for New Yorkbased ClipperData.

“Though shipments from

Argentina to Africa for March at 42 days are longer than normal, overall Argentine exports to sub-Saharan Africa this crop year have been overwhelmingly high compared to normal,” she tells (RFI).

Grain destined for sub-Saharan Africa comes from both North and South America, the European Union, Russia and Ukraine.

Wheat imports to the African continent as a whole have been at a higher in the first quarter of 2020 as compared to last year’s vessel data, says Liu, adding that contracts between buyers and sellers have been considerable since July 2019, the start of the crop year.

If there was a slowdown in shipping grain or a spike in prices due to Covid-19, the continent would be able to handle this, says the senior agriculture analyst.

Experts Say China Will Emerge From Coronavirus Crisis Stronger Than US Chennai

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Port Wings News Network he Coronavirus pandemic gripping the globe may have its origins in China, but experts say that current trends indicate the crisis will leave it in a much stronger position geopolitically relative to the United States, according to a MarketWatch report.

“The Chinese are in a much stronger position than they have been coming out of any recent global crisis,” Ian Bremmer, president and founder of the Eurasia Group, told MarketWatch.

“They own most of the global medical supply chain. They’ve basically contained the virus through technology-powered, authoritarian surveillance, and they’ve leveraged this success by providing aid to Europe and emerging markets,” in the fight against COVID-19.

Even as China’s economy has taken a large hit from the outbreak, and will continue to suffer from falling global demand as it spreads throughout Europe and the United States, the country does appear to be opening for business, with the city of Wuhan — where the outbreak began in December — scheduled to lift its lockdown this week.

Carl Weinberg, founder and chief economist at High Frequency Economics, said in an interview that while it may be too early to declare the Chinese economic recovery underway, policy makers there appear to have a better handle of the situation. “The Chinese built a hospital with 2,000 beds in 10 days from start to finish,” he said. “They started building it in January before

the pandemic was fully recognized.

We’re way behind the curve on it.”

Meanwhile, the U.S.-China relationship has deteriorated in recent weeks, as Chinese and

American leaders have sought to blame one another for the pandemic.

On Tuesday, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said there should be an international investigation “into the origins of the coronavirus,” and submitted legislation that calls for China to provide compensation for the economic impact.

Rising tensions, and what has so far been an American inability to stop the acceleration of new cases, are likely to lead to further decoupling of the U.S.-China economic relationship and push Europe into the arms of China, said Edward Alden, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

“The pandemic is going to reinforce that the United States is simply not the highly functional, advanced role model it used to be,” he said in an interview. “The Europeans have, in the past, looked at the U.S. with a fair degree of awe,” because of its innovative companies, strong university system and the ability to attract highly skilled immigrants.

“We are on a trajectory now to have a worse outbreak than

Italy,” he warned. “This is going to reinforce the impression that the U.S. has nothing to teach the rest of the world.”

The implications of what appears to be a pending geopolitical victory will be far-reaching for U.S. economy and businesses, said Eurasia Group’s Bremmer. “This will accelerate the deglobalization trend in data and manufacturing. It means that on issues like Huawei and 5G, the Europeans are less likely to follow the United States.

And it increases the ability of the Chinese to follow its standards and join initiatives like One Belt, One Road,” a Chinese global development strategy.

There may still be time for the U.S. to get the crisis under control and save face on the global stage.

Serious social distancing measures have only been in place for a little more than a week in the hardesthit areas of the United States, so it remains to be seen what effect they will have on containing the virus to already known hot spots like New York City, or on slowing the spread of the virus in those places.

But with President Donald Trump announcing that he’d like to have the economy “opened up,” by the April 12 Easter holiday, he runs the risk of convincing his supporters that the dangers posed by the virus have passed, before we understand the scope of the problem.

“Right now Americans are believing the same thing about the crisis,” Bremmer said. “In four weeks time that might not be true. If half this country believes the crisis has passed, we’re going to have a lot more outbreaks.”

Cargo Volumes at Major Ports Up 0.8% to 704.63 MT in FY20

Contact Numbers Phone Number 9444222056 9444158179 7358020375 7305315408

Continued from page -1 been a few unconfirmed reports of seafarers who have contracted Covid-19 off the coast of Singapore, many workers are on the high seas for up to 10 months at a time and have not been exposed.

“In fact, they are most at risk from people from the land side coming aboard ships and affecting them, rather than the other way around,” he says.

Other seafarers have not been allowed ashore for essential nonCovid-19 medical treatment after falling ill, which is another crucial issue, he adds.

Most sailors have extended their time on the ship, including those who have been onboard 24/7 for 10 months, because they have nowhere to go or transport to get home.

“They are getting paid for it,

Mumbai

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Port Wings News Network ndia’s dozen State-owned ports handled a combined 704.63 million tonnes (mt) of cargo in the year to March 2020, registering a paltry growth of about 0.8 per cent, the slowest in eight years, according to a BusinessLine report.

Despite the tardy operational performance, the 12 so-called major port trusts were able to hold on to its last year volumes and even surpass it by about 5 mt in a challenging year that was marked by global and local economic headwinds and the outbreak of the coronavirus,

clipping global trade.

These 12 ports have a capacity to handle 1,524.91 mt of cargo a year and the FY20 cargo throughput translates into a capacity utilisation of 46.2 per cent. The existing capacity would thus be able to cater to growth till at least 2025, according to industry sources. In FY19, the 12 ports handled 699.10 mt of cargo including containers — registering a growth of 2.9 per cent over the 679.37 mt handled in FY18.

The last time the 12 ports posted a decline in volumes was in FY12 when it handled 560.14 mt, down from 570.03 mt in FY11. Since

then, these ports have picked up momentum.

Deendayal Port Trust (formerly Kandla Port Trust) located in Gujarat handled 122.50 mt of cargo in FY20 from 115.40 mt in FY19, retaining the pole position among the 12 ports. Paradip Port Trust located in Orissa, handled 112.67 mt (109.28 mt) of cargo in FY20.

The total cargo handled by Mumbai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India’s biggest container port, declined to 68.45 mt (70.71 mt). Chennai Port Trust registered a 11.8 per cent drop in cargo volumes to 46.7 mt (53 mt).

Apr. 8th - 14th Issue

FFFAI Appeals to Logistics Industry Regarding Effects of COVID-19 on EXIM Trade Chennai

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Port Wings News Network he Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Associations in India (FFFAI) has sent out an appeal to the EXIM trade, which is affected due to Coronavirus outbreak across the world.

Below is the reproduction of the appeal sent out by Shri AV Vijaykumar, Chairman, FFFAI. We are in the midst of the countrywide lockdown/people curfew – called by the Honourable Prime Minister to fight COVID-19 pandemic. Both the Central and the State Governments have been issued various guidelines, restrictions and some relaxations.

We, as FFFAI, fully support the ongoing initiatives of the Government of India including lockdown and curfew wherever implemented. What we are witnessing today is a passing phase and we have navigated successfully many such natural and unnatural calamities. We will sail through this also but after a struggling battle.

We as a Logistics player should be proud that even under such compelling and difficult conditions, have not been deterred, but have continued with our work to support the Government. I appreciate every member, their office and their staff to have risked their personal life to participate in the larger interest of the country. We have proved once again that we are one family that serves irrespective of the favourable or unfavourable conditions and have always believed in delivering.

We act as a catalyst to unite to support the country even when isolation today a solution. I am reaching out to every Member to share that let us be proud of what we are doing and we will definitely come out of this difficult times successfully.

It is pertinent to mentioned that due to the multiplicity of Circulars at various levels and for each State it is difficult for FFFAI to share a uniform advisory.

For example, as per the letter issued by the MHA No.40-3/2020DM-I(A) Dated 29th March, 2020, even transportation non -essential goods has also been allowed.

However, with lockdown and curfew, there are certain problems faced by our Members. One of the main issues is of stepping out of house and travel. Many States are strict in enforcing curfew and hence it is difficult for CBs to carry out

their day to day w o r k .

Whereas, s o m e States are moderate t h a t mobility to a limited extent is permitted.

While it is required to obtain a pass or permit to travel, there is neither set procedure nor clarity on the authority that will issue such pass or permits. This is done by some States online while others follow manual system.

Operations at Port, Airport, CFS, ICDs across various cities have been adversely affected due to minimum workforce available on account of travel restrictions.

Even though Customs have declared 24 X 7 working but they are functioning with very minimum staff/ Officers. Majority of Shipping Lines and NVOCCs have adopted work from home thereby limiting their normal work.

Unlike most other professions where online processing and work from home concept is possible, our profession requires manual presence of our staff at various stages and locations. This is avoidable exposure and is contrary to the appeal of the Honourable Prime Minister for social distancing.

The Federation has suggested that the entire process of clearance and handling of cargo – be it Customs or others – should be system driven to avoid human intervention. To achieve this target of paperless processing entirely, it will take some time to accomplish.

Another major issue faced is lack of transports/trucks. Most of drivers of vehicles operated in different parts of the country have travelled back to their native places to protect themselves and their family.

This is one of the main obstacles for movement of cargo. In certain places even when drivers have returned back to work, their functions become very difficult due to difficulties in obtaining travel permits. Hence, logistics activities have been affected across the locations.

Under these circumstances, FFFAI have advised its members the

followings: a. Be safe, protect yourself, your family and your staff family b. Seek official pass or permit before venturing out, c. Ensure all precautions are taken – usage of protective gear, social distancing, avoiding crowded areas d. Check prevailing condition in each of your state / locality, e. Beware of the restrictions imposed and follow the guidelines.

The Office Bearers of FFFAI share / exchange updates daily through video conference facility and basis inputs received from various locations it is understood that: i. At Customs, Port, Airports, CFSs, ICD, Shipping / Air Lines availability of officials / staff available to carry on the routine normal work is very less ii. The strength is far below normal attendance and almost skeletal staffing. With this strength it would be impossible to handle regular volume, iiii. Authorities have taken this conscious step to maintain social distancing otherwise It would expose all stakeholders to possible COVID 19 virus, iv. Availability of vehicles / drivers is almost nil or insignificant / negligible v. CBs are unable to discharge their normal duty due to restrictions imposed by the State thereby curtailing our normal working, vi. Process of obtaining passes / permits is very difficult Meanwhile, FFFAI has also made following representations to the Government to facilitate cargo operations.

1) Representation to Chairman – CBIC and appeal: a) Waiver of late submission fee directly by Customs EDI System b) Going paper less effective use of RMS System c) Non-levy of interest on Custom Duty 2) Representation to Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Civil Aviation and appeal a) Waiver of demurrage and detention charges, detention b) Ground rent charged by Custodians, Shipping Lines, Air Cargo Terminals etc.

3) Representation to Special Secretary Logistics for support to the trade and industry on various issues

Indian Register of Shipping Classes its First Vessel Under Lebanese Flag Mumbai

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Port Wings News Network nternational ship classification society IRClass, has classed its first vessel under Lebanese flag.

The vessel is named Jouri and was converted from a vehicle carrier to a livestock carrier under the survey of IRClass which included structural modification, plan approval and reapproval of stability conditions.

The modification process was complicated and was carried out under the close supervision of its surveyors to the complete satisfaction of owner - Etab Shipping S.A. and Technical

Manager - M/s Safe Sea Service S.A.R.L Beirut.

“The project took around 4

months to complete, including overcoming technical challenges

like the location of permanent ballast and arrangement for storage of cattle feed to take into account the stability of the vessel,” said Rajeev Pratap Rao, IRClass’ Regional Manager for Middle East and Africa.

“Class societies are increasingly being seen not just as regulators but also as enablers and this project is a perfect example of this with our Plan Approval team and surveyors using their technical expertise to advise and guide the modification team. As this project was such a success we are now working on a similar conversion for the City of Barcelona.” he continued.

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Indian Railways Maintains its Freight Corridors Fully Functional Despite COVID19 Lockdown Challenges New Delhi Port Wings News Network ndian Railways continues in its endeavour to ensure availability of essential commodities through its freight services during the nationwide lock down due to COVID-19.

In order to ensure the timely delivery of essential commodities for citizens and goods vital for energy & infrastructure sector, Indian Railways has maintained its freight corridors fully functional inspite of the COVID 19 lockdown and has been successful in meeting the needs of both the households sector and industry.

During the first week of April Railways delivered 7195 wagons of Food grains, 64567 wagons of coal, 3314 wagons of steel and 3838 wagons of petroleum. Total 143458 wagons of freight were loaded in the same period.

On 28th March 2020, total 695 rakes/35942 wagons were loaded out of which 442 rakes/24412 wagons were loaded for essential commodities (One wagon contains 58-60 ton consignment). This includes 54 rakes/2405 wagons of foodgrains, 3 rakes/126 wagons of sugar, 1 rake/42 wagons of salt, 1 rake/50 wagons of edible oil, 356 rakes/20519 wagons of coal, and 27 rakes/1270 wagons of petroleum products.

On 29th March 2020, total 684 rakes/35319 wagons were loaded out of which 437 rakes/24202 wagons were loaded for essential commodities.

This includes 40 rakes/1727 wagons of foodgrains, 5 rakes/210 wagons of sugar, 1 rake/42 wagons of salt, 1 rake/42 wagons of edible oil, 363 rakes/20904 wagons of coal, and 27 rakes/1277 wagons of petroleum products.

On 30 March 2020, total 726 rakes/37526 wagons were loaded out of which 466 rakes/25617 wagons were loaded for essential

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commodities (One wagon contains 58-60 ton consignment). This includes 51 rakes/2252 wagons of foodgrains, 6 rakes/252 wagons of sugar, 8 wagons of salt, 2 rake/63 wagons of fruits & vegetables, 376 rakes/21628 wagons of coal, and 31 rakes/1414 wagons of petroleum products. Among loading of other important commodities, were 19 rakes/840 wagons of steel, and 18 rakes/802 wagons of fertilizer.

On 31st March 2020, total 1005 rakes/51755 wagons were loaded out of which 598 rakes/33265 wagons were loaded for essential commodities. This includes 59 rakes/2600 wagons of foodgrains, 7 rakes/293 wagons of sugar, 2 rake/84 wagons of salt, 2 rake/84 wagons of fruits & vegetables, 500 rakes/28861 wagons of coal, and 28 rakes/1292 wagons of petroleum products. Among loading of other important commodities, were 40 rakes/1789 wagons of steel, and 31 rakes/1287 wagons of fertilizer.

On 1st April 2020, total 545 rakes/54177 wagons were loaded out of which 328 rakes/17805 wagons were loaded for essential commodities. This includes 54 rakes/2343 wagons of foodgrains, 5 rakes/210 wagons of sugar, 1 rake/42 wagons of fruits & vegetables, 244 rakes/14078 wagons of coal, and 24 rakes/1132 wagons of petroleum products. Among loading of other important commodities, were 16 rakes/685 wagons of steel, and 17 rakes/761 wagons of fertilizer.

Issues which were earlier being faced by Railways at many terminal points in loading and unloading operations are being effectively resolved. Indian Railways along with Ministry of Home affairs is keeping in touch with State Governments to sort out any such operational issue if they arise.

EXIM Trade: Customs Department Eases Norms on Bond Submission Mumbai

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Port Wings News Network he Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has eased the rules regarding submission of bonds by importers and exporters to expedite Customs clearance of goods and to maintain a balance between Customs control and facilitation of legitimate trade in the wake of the nationwide lockdown, according to a BusinessLine report.

The CBIC has approved relaxation of the requirement to submit bonds prescribed under sections 18, 59 and 143 of the Customs Act after receiving representations on the difficulties faced by importers/exporters and their authorised Customs brokers in obtaining notarised stamp papers for furnishing bonds required by Customs in certain situations during the assessment and clearance of goods, M Sangha, Joint Commissioner (Customs), wrote in a April 3 circular.

Beneficiaries Considering that the importer/ exporter may find it difficult to comply with requirement of furnishing bond for some more time till the situation normalises, the relaxation shall be available up to April 30. The relaxation shall, however, be subject to review by the CBIC on April 14, the day the lockdown ends.

Till April 30, Customs field formations may accept request for

submission of an undertaking from the importer/exporter in lieu of a bond prescribed under the Act. The relaxation will apply to government/public sector undertakings (Central/State/ UT governments or administrations and their undertakings), manufacturer/ actual user importer, authorised economic operators, status holders and all importers availing warehouse facility in terms of Section 59 of the Customs Act, 1962.

On a case-to-case basis Such relaxation from submitting a bond may also be considered on a caseto-case basis for any other importer and exporter who requests for the same, with additional safeguards as deemed fit by the jurisdictional Commissioner to safeguard revenue and ensure compliance of the statutory provisions.

Importers/exporters availing this facility shall ensure that the undertaking furnished in lieu of bond is duly replaced with a proper bond before May 7.

In the case of warehoused goods, any subsequent movement of goods to another warehouse under Section 67 of the Customs Act, 1962, shall be allowed only to manufacturer/actual user importer or AEO (authorised economic operator) or status holders.

For requests related to change of ownership after warehousing, the facility shall be considered only in cases where the prospective buyer is either manufacturer/actual user importer or AEO or status holder.

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Apr. 8th - 14th Issue

Customs Brokers in Kochi Urges Kerala Chief Minister To Intervene For Smooth Cargo Operation During Lockdown Kochi

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Port Wings News Network ith a request for Guidelines to undertake Export / Import Clearance under lockdown period at Cochin Port the Cochin Customs Brokers’ Association (CCBA) on 3 April 2020 sent a letter to the Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan.

In this letter Mr Alan Jose, President, CCBA and Vice Chairman, Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Associations in India (FFFAI) maintained that the Customs Brokers fraternity is really thankful to the CM for his pre-emptive leadership during this unprecedented pandemic of COVID 19 which has affected the State and the country. “Your timely intervention and foresightedness have helped our State to control the spread of the deadly Coronavirus to a great extent. Under your efficient guidance, our health department, home department, revenue, etc. are successfully handling the crisis and we are grateful for the same,” underscored Mr Jose.

He also maintained that based on the Prime Minister’s announcement to lockdown all activities, except essential services to control this pandemic, CBs also closed all offices out of concern for themselves, their staff and families and decided to undertake clearance activities only of essential commodities viz. pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, personal protective equipment and food items required to be distributed in the state. Cochin Port Trust also mooved to the need of the hour by issuing suitable Trade Notices on 17th, 21st and 23rd March in order to avoid community outbreak of the pandemic in the Port Trust area in Willingdon Island.

“But the notifications issued by the Central and State Governments later are contradictory to one another and the Ministry of Shipping has notified to continue normal operations of Ports and Customs and then clearance activities of the cargo – general as well as essential,” he pointed out. On this CCBA had an Extra Ordinary General Meeting on 31st March 2020 through video conference and a Resolution was passed unanimously to refrain from

normal work, but to take best efforts in clearing the essential cargoes and to file the documents in Customs for all general cargoes upon receipt of original documents from the exporter or importers as obligated under Customs B r o k e r s Licencing Regulations.

However, based on the instructions from the Commissioner of Customs, we had withdrawn the same.

Mr Jose further informed that a clear understanding of Essential Goods and Non Essential Goods meant by the Central Government in issuing the circular was given by Mr N. Sivasailam, Special Secretary Logistics, Department of Commerce, Government of India during the Zoom Conference organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce on April 3. According to Mr Sivasailam, permission was granted for movement of non-essential goods is only to support the manufacture and packaging of essential goods which he explained with a classic example of Milk and Plastic Granules.

According to Mr Jose, in Kochi CFSs, Empty Container Yards, DP World Terminal, Customs Documentation Center etc. are within a 1 km radius which could potentially become a Hotspot for COVID-19 if it enters this circuit.

Government of Kerala has declared Ernakulam district as one of the Hot Spots, and considering the above facts and the COVID-19 affected cases nearby, Vallarpadom may be one of the most dangerous Red Hot Spots. Most of them are now either closed or functioning with very less staff. Most of the CBs staff would have to come from various other districts to Ernakulam to attend their work.

Their movements are currently being restricted by the local administration as a part of the lockdown. For submitting documents, stuffing, transporting, etc. various categories of employees are required at all the associated offices not to mention loading unloading workers

– either through the Unions or through the Kerala Head load workers welfare Board.

Mr Jose highlighted that CBs staff would be travelling from some or all of the above places and contacting / interacting with various people in the whole Logistics chain, and under the current circumstances, poses a major threat to their health and also to other people who have transactions with them. As a part of precautionary measure, Cochin Port also issued a Circular, restricting the movement in Willingdon Island and CBs staff require special permission letter from their employer along with respective ID cards to enter into the Island offices during the lockdown period.

Like other parts of the country most of the factories are closed down and Inter-state transportation is also blocked due to nationwide lockdown. Under this circumstance, CCBA sought clarifications from the CM on the following: i) Can CBs staff travel around freely as most of them are commuting from nearby districts, because local police are restricting movement due to lockdown? They wpould possess ID Cards of either Port, Customs or ICTT (DP World) and an authorisation letter from CBs. ii) Other employees, drivers, etc. of Customs Brokers have to visit / contact various offices –Customs, Port, CFSs, ICTT, PQ, FSSAI, etc. for collecting various documents / certificates. Will relaxation in travelling be given to them by local authorities? What document should they produce for free movement in and around the State? iii) If the employees are travelling, they are more susceptible to the Corona infection as they are coming into contact with many people.

Whether all the above-mentioned govt. and private offices, CFSs, Ports Terminal, etc. will be taking ample precautionary measures to protect the personnel entering their premises.

“We request the CM’s guidance to overcome this critical situation as well as perform our duty to clear the EXIM cargo, keeping in mind the aim of lockdown is to curb the spread of Coronavirus,” he urged.

JNPT Handles Over 5 Million TEUs… for the Second Consecutive Year Mumbai

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Port Wings News Network awaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India’s premier container port maintained its performance in FY20 and registered a throughput of over 5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in container handling, and becoming the first Indian port to scale the peak for two consecutive years (LY: 5.13 Million TEUs), overcoming the impact of COVID-19 outbreak.

Total traffic handled during FY 1920 in terms of tonnage was 68.45 Million tons as against 70.71 million tons LY. Taking an overview of the numbers terminal wise, PSA’s new container terminal at JNPT-BMCT registered growth of 55.51% and NSIGT registered growth of 4.11% over previous year. APM Terminals Mumbai (GTI) handled 1.99 million TEUs during the year, followed by NSIGT: 0.99 million TEUs, PSA BMCT’s 0.8 million TEUs, JNPCT handled 0.72 million TEUs and NSICT handled 0.53 million TEUs for FY20.

1.02 million Tons of cement was handled, crossing the 1 Million Tons mark after 10 years and the total

liquid cargo volume handled during this year was 6.45 million tonnes and the Break Bulk volume was 35% higher than LY. Commenting on the performance, Shri Sanjay Sethi, IAS, Chairman, JNPT said, “Crossing 5 million

TEUs for a second year running is a result of our efforts and the quality of service we provide at JNPT. The team’s perseverance, especially over the last couple of months, shows our commitment towards ensuring that trade doesn’t come to a standstill. Besides this, the support of all our stakeholders also kept the momentum at JNPT going.”

The pandemic COVID-19

has forced the Government to curb movement, however the port sector has been declared as essential services, for maintaining of supply chain link within the country. During this period JNPT took various measures to limit the impact of the outbreak while also protecting the trade channel from any disruption. The port has also undertaken several preventive measures to equip and protect its workforce. JNPT have also taken some proactive measures at JNPCT and extended reliefs to the trade in order to support Port users and end users like - No dwell time charges will be levied for all import containers moved by road (CFS/DPD/Empty) which were discharged from 22.03.2020 till 31.03.2020; No shifting charges levied for import containers for which change of mode activity (from truck to rail) is performed to facilitate movement of CFS/DPD containers by Rail and Delivery of DPD containers was allowed from Terminal after 48 hrs also till 31.03.2020.

V.O.Chidambaranar Port Handles 36.08 Million Tonnes of Cargo & 8.04 Lakh TEUs during 2019-2020 Tuticorin Port Wings News Network uring the financial year 2019-2020, V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust handled cargo traffic of 36.08 Million Tonnes against the previous year's achievement of 34.34 Million Tonnes, registering an increase of 5.05%.

Shri T.K. Ramachandran, IAS, Chairman, V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust remarked that ‘Our success is based on our enterprising Port users, effective & committed stakeholders and hardworking workforce of the Port. At this instance, I also wish to thank our clients for the trust they place in us.”

According to a media statement, the imports have accounted for 25.82 Million Tonnes (71.57 %) and exports accounted for 10.25 Million Tonnes (28.41%) and Transhipment accounted for 0.01 Million Tonnes (0.02 %). It is also a matter of pride that the Port has achieved the 36.00 Million Tonnes target set by Ministry of Shipping.

The port has registered it’s highest ever record throughput of 8.03 Lakh Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) of Containers in the year 2019-20 clocking a growth of 8.72% over previous year's container traffic of 7.39 Lakh TEUs. When compared to the financial year 2018-19, cargoes that have shown considerable increase are Containerised cargo 8.72 .% (8.03 Lakh TEUs), Industrial Coal 29.54 % (60.12 Lakh Tonnes), cattle feed 225.40% (2.97 Lakh Tonnes), Sulphuric acid 79.44% (4.63 Lakh Tonnes) and Rock Phosphate 32.84 % (5.44 Lakh Tonnes).

In the year 2019-20, there were 1447 ship calls in the port, increase by 5.62% from the 1370. ship calls during the financial year 2018-19.

Financial Performance V.O.Chidambaranar Port’s operating income amounted to ₹ 625.08 crores during 2019-20 as against ₹ 519.50 Crores during the previous year and the operating

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surplus ₹ 375.75 crores as against ₹ 252.34 crores in 2018-19. The net surplus after tax was ₹ 161.05 crores as against ₹ 45.13 crores. The operating ratio of 39.89 % is one the best among the Indian Major Ports.

Projects Port has initiated proposals for two Public Private Partnership projects, Conversion of 9th berth as container terminal at an estimated cost of Rs.438.61 crores and Mechanisation of NCB-III

for handling dry bulk cargo at an estimated cost of Rs.269.06 crores.

Works are underway at a cost of Rs.41.55 Crores for the project ‘Widening the Existing Korampallam surplus course bridge and Rail Over Bridge including widening of the existing road’. Port is also in the process of installing ‘Drive through Container scanner’ at a cost of 46.25 crores.

Port is also in the process of revamping the fixed fire fighting system at a cost of 17.49 crores and commissioning 5 MLD capacity desalination plant at an estimated cost of Rs.143 crores As a trendsetter among Major Ports of the country in adopting an integrated Green Energy Port Model, the Port has issued orders for installation of 140 KW Rooftop solar power plant and 5 MW ground based solar power plant.

Port has also identified 702 acres of land for setting up of Port based industries (Tuticorin - SPEEDZ).

In Phase-I, tenders were invited for allotment of 275 acres of land of which 2 bidders have expressed interest for setting up of edible oil refineries.

DG Shipping Extends Validity of Seafarers Certificates by Six Months Mumbai

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Port Wings News Network he Director General of Shipping (DG Shipping) has extended the validity of seafarers’ certificates that were expiring between March 23 and October 01, 2020, by six months in a relief to crew working on board ships amidst a three-week lockdown., according to a BusinessLine report.

“Now after taking stock and assessing the emerging Covid-l9 situation, the Directorate hereby extends the expiry date of all STCW certificates (includes the training certificates i.e. certificates required under Chapter VI of the STCW) and associated endorsements issued by the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) which are expiring between 23 March and 1 October 2020 (both dates inclusive), for a period of six months from the expiry date printed/ typed on the relevant certificate (Certificate of Competency (COC)/ Certificate of Equivalency(COE)/ Certificate of Proficiency (COP),” Amitabh Kumar, Director General of Shipping, wrote in a April 3 order.

“However, all those seafarers who meet the eligibility requirements

for revalidation may make an application after the lifting of the lockdown period, to the Mercantile Marine Department for revalidation of their certificate of COC/COP/ COE,” Kumar said.

New validity Further, whenever the revalidation of the expired certificate is to be carried out, the new validity shall be issued for a period of five years from the original certificate expiry date. “There is no need to approach the DGS for any confirmation email of extension but may retain a copy of this order onboard for the guidance of officials should it be required,” he added.

The above extension is in the view of the prevailing extraordinary circumstances of the worldwide spread of Covid-I9 and the country wide lockdown.

The extension was granted considering that many seafarers due for sign off from ships are unable to do so due to the current situation created by Covid and that their COC/COP/COE may be expiring and that they should not be forced to unnecessarily sail on vessels on the pretext of non-availability of seafarers or sign-off opportunity.

Apr. 8th - 14th Issue

DP WORLD Wins 'Best Green Practices' at Manufacturing Supply Chain Awards 2020

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Mumbai

Port Wings News Network P World India has won the prestigious 'Best Green Practices' Award at Manufacturing Supply Chain Awards in recognition of the various environmentally friendly and sustainable initiatives undertaken by the company.

DP World, a leading global logistics company, strongly believes that working in a sustainable and responsible way is essential for building a strong business for customers, people and society. The company was

bestowed with this significant award during the 9th Edition of Manufacturing Supply Chain Summit held in Mumbai. The event was attended by top leaders from supply chain & logistics as well as manufacturing industry.

In India, DP World has invested in a variety of impactful green initiatives that include rainwater and greywater harvesting, the implementation of solar-powered water pumping systems, installation of solar panels at its terminals and the local schools, as well as the installation of solar streetlamps in the local villages. Through its “Trees for Life” program the company has invested in the education of farmers on sustainable land use system that maintains and increases total yields by combining food crops with tree

crops on the same unit of land. Over 31,000 saplings have been planted by the company till date with 100% survival rate. On energy and reducing carbon footprint, DP World has installed and operates electronic rubber-tired gantries (eRTG) at port terminals, as well as electrical vehicles at its facilities. DP World is also trying to make supply chains more energy efficient by promoting alternate modes of transportation including rail, coastal shipping and Inland waterways. As a responsible corporate citizen, DP World is committed to build businesses that create values for its stakeholders in a sustainable manner.

Rizwan Soomar, CEO and MD, DP World Subcontinent said, “It is a proud moment for us to win this prestigious award and we are pleased as it recognises our efforts to create an environmentally friendly and sustainable supply chain ecosystem in the country. Through our capabilities in port terminals, rail services, inland rail terminals, warehousing, 3PL, express and cold chain services we give our customers more options to move their cargo in a smarter, faster and efficient manner. We at DP World are determined to undertake various measures which protect the environment and assist in building a sustainable future. We aim to continue the responsible use of natural resources, prevent pollution, minimize wastages, as well as demonstrate industry leadership with respect to environmental policies and practices. I would like to thank our partners for their constant support and customers for trusting our supply chain capabilities to grow their business.”

DP World owns and operates six container terminals, seven inland rail terminals and five container freight stations. The company operates rail services connecting major cargo centres to gateway ports. It has pan-India capability in providing warehousing, 3PL, express and cold chain services. The company is also building two Free Trade Warehousing Zones in Nhava Sheva and Chennai that will be operational by next year.

APM Terminals Pipavav Offers Free Container Storage Service at Port

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Mumbai

Port Wings News Network PM Terminals Pipavav is extending free storage service for all containers from 1st to 15th April 2020; both days are inclusive.

This will offer flexibility to our customers with extended logistic chain amidst the lockdown announced by the Government in the wake of recent outbreak of COVID-19

pandemic and the wide-ranging measures taken to ensure safety of the population.

The supply chain interruption at the Ports is expected due to the impact on the downstream services. The free storage facility at our port will help our customers to plan their onward land logistics suitably and help maintain the supply chain. For any query regarding the storage, our commercial teams will be happy to connect.

Mr. Jakob Friis Sørensen, Managing Director, APM Terminals Pipavav said, “The extension of free storage service at our port is a step towards offering flexibility to our customers for their good’s onward movement.

We are committed to ease the supply chain for our customers in these challenging times and this is a small step towards it.”

APM Terminals Pipavav continues safe operations at the port by adopting stringent measures in line with the guidelines of the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), Govt. Of India, Govt of Gujarat and local statutory bodies, in the wake of COVID 19.

APM Terminals Pipavav [Gujarat Pipavav Port Ltd.] is one of India’s leading gateway port for Containers, Ro/Ro (passenger cars), Liquid Bulk and Dry Bulk cargoes serving customers in the state of Gujarat with road and rail networks to India’s hinterland and northwest. The current annual Cargo Handling Capacity includes 1.35 million TEU Containers, 250,000 Passenger cars, 2 million metric tons of Liquid bulk and 4 million metric tons of Dry bulk. APM Terminals Pipavav is India's first public private partnership (PPP) port in India and is a part of the APM Terminals global terminal network.

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Gangavaram Port Contributes Rs. 3 Crore to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Relief Fund

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Chennai

Port Wings News Network angavaram Port Limited on 3 April 2020 contributed Rs 3 crores (Rupees Three Crore Only) to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Relief fund for the fight against COVID 19 pandemic and support the healthcare and safety measures being undertaken by the Government.

The cheque was handed over to Shri Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh by Mr. DVS. Raju, Chairman, Gangavaram Port Limited & Shri. N. Sambasiva Rao, Chief Executive Officer, Gangavaram Port Limited.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. DVS. Raju, Chairman, Gangavaram Port Limited said “GPL is humbled to contribute to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Relief Fund in this time of India’s fight against COVID 19. We are confident that our contribution will have a positive impact on the communities that have been hit hardest by this unprecedented crisis. The entire team at GPL is proud to be able to help make a difference in the battle against this virus.”

GPL has implemented strict measures to ensure all their members, employees, partners, stakeholders remain safe from COVID-19.

The port management has undertaken an extensive drive to educate their employees on the seriousness of Coronavirus, identifying infections, and measures to safeguard them from being infected. Gangavaram Port Management is committed to facilitate uninterrupted movement of essential goods

& services amidst the lockdown and GPL is operational with all safety and health protocols.

Gangavaram Port is the most modern and the deepest port in India located at Visakhapatnam, the industrial nerve centre of Andhra Pradesh. Gangavaram Port has been developed as an all-weather, multipurpose port

with water depth up to 21 meters, making it the deepest and capable of handling fully laden Super Cape size vessels of up to 200,000 DWT. Gangavaram Port has become the gateway port for a hinterland spread over 8 states across Eastern, Western, Southern and Central India.

Its ability to handle larger vessels efficiently has resulted in substantial savings to trade and port users.

Gangavaram Port provides efficient cargo handling services for a variety of bulk and break bulk cargo groups including Coal, Iron Ore, Fertilizer, Limestone, Bauxite, Raw Sugar, Project Cargo, Alumina, Steel products etc. The Port, its related facilities and material handling system are among the most advanced in Asia and meet the highest standards in terms of pollution prevention and safety.

Easing Congestion at Ports: CONCOR Moves Containers From ICTT Cochin to Coimbatore New Delhi Port Wings News Network tate-owned Container Corporation of India Ltd (Concor) ran a service on Wednesday, carrying 80 containers of wheat from the International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam in Cochin Port Trust to its inland container depot (ICD) at Irugur in Coimbatore, according to a BusinessLine report.

This is yet another example of cooperation among stakeholders to move containers out of port terminals due to issues with road movements arising from the three-week lockdown imposed by the government to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Many import containers were stuck at ICTT as trucks stopped plying due to shortage of drivers.

“Because of the lockdown, road movements have come down to a large extent from ICTT,” said a Concor official involved in the exercise.

“Therefore, we had to find a way to keep goods moving and so joined hands with ICTT and a few customers to run the service,” he said.

“We have been working on running a service linking ICTT with Irugur for a few months and the current situation actually catalysed the rake

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movement,” he added. Concor, he said, plans to make it into a tri-weekly service depending on the demand.

Rail service In January, Concor started a rail service linking India’s only container transhipment terminal run by Dubai government-owned D P World Pvt Ltd with its ICD in Bengaluru with a longer frequency, which it plans to convert into a weekly service by the second quarter of FY21.

In FY20, ICTT handled more than 620,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), 4.28 per cent more than the 595,000 TEUs it handled in FY19, despite a challenging year marked by global and local economic slowdown and trade disruptions due to the outbreak of coronavirus.

A TEU is the standard size of a container and a common measure of capacity in the container business.

Concor has been plying extra services to move import containers out of port terminals to various inland container depots (ICDs) to reduce congestion due to container pileup at ports in the face of inadequate road transportation, trade sources said.

6

Vessel Position at Terminals - (08.04.2020 To 15.04.2020)

Apr. 8th - 14th Issue

7

CITPL - Chennai

CCTL - Chennai ETA

ETD

Service

Vessel Name

Voy

Agent/Line

Calling Ports

ETA

ETD

Service

Vessel Name

Voy

Agent/Line

Calling Ports

7-4

8-4

SIF

SPIRIT OF MUMBAI

15

MSC1

Colombo

07/04

08/04

CI3

COSCO IZMIR

054

CCO

Port Kelang(North port), Singapore, Shanghai

7-4

8-4

IEX

AL SAFAT

2009

HLL1

08/04

09/04

MD1

WANHAI 507

83664E

WAN

Krishnapatnam, West Port Klang , Singapore, Cailan, Busan, Ulsan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian

13/04

14/04

FME

APL ENGLAND

0IL4WE1PL

APL

Port Klang, Singapore, Manila, Pusan, Shanghai, Hong Kong

Colombo, Damietta Piraes Rotterdam, London

DAKSHINBHARATH GATEWAY TERMINAL / Tuticorin ETA

ETD

Service

Vessel Name

Voy

Agent/Line

Calling Ports

8-4

9-4

CTS

MV.VALADIVOSTOK

1185

FAR SHIPPING

COLOMBO, TUTICORIN, COLOMBO

9-4

9-4

TUX

MV.OEL SHRAVAN

20022

TWF

COLOMBO, TUTICORIN, COLOMBO

9-4

10-4

CI II

MV.WAN HAI 501

199E

AISSA MARITIME

TUTICORIN, PENANG, PORT KELANG, HONG HONG, QINGDAO, SHANGHAI, NINGBO, SHEKOU

10-4

11-4

BOX

MV.XPRESS MAHANANDHA

20128S

BOX

COLOMBO, TUTICORIN, COLOMBO

11/04

12/04

CTS

MV.VALADIVOSTOK

1195

FAR SHIPPING

COLOMBO, TUTICORIN, COLOMBO

Kattupalli ETA

ETD

Service

8-4

9-4

ACS

08/04

9-4

CCG

Vessel Name HYUNDAI PRARAMOUNT MESSINI

Voy

Agent/Line

52

HMM

Calling Ports Krishnapatnam, West Port Klang , Singapore, Cailan- Busan, Ulsan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian

100W

EMC

08/04

9-4

C13

COSCO IZMIR

54

CCO

13/04

14/04

SHTL

MARATHOPILIS

2012

MSK

Cochin , Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Jebel Ali, Bandar Abbas, Dammam Tuticorin, cochin, Pipava, Kandla, Jebel ali

APM Terminal - Mumbai ETA

ETD

Service

Vessel Name

8-4

9-4

ME3

9-4

10-4

11-4

12-4

Voy

Agent/Line

Calling Ports

SANTA CRUZ

MSK

Port Qasim, Nhava Sheva, Pipavav, Colombo, T.Pelepas, Tanjung, Singapore, Hong Kong, Ningbo, Pusan, Kwangyang, Qingdao, Dalian, Xingang

PS3

SAN DIEGO BRIDGE

ONE

Pipavav, Port Klang, Singapore, Shangai, Ningbo, Xiamen

12-4

FM3

MAERSK TAURUS

MSK

Pipavav, Hazira, JNPT, Jebel Ali, Salalah, Port Said, Mersin, Ambarli Port, Izmlt Korfezi, Novorosslysk

13/04

TIP

MOL GLOBE

ONE

Jebel Ali, Mundra,Hazira,Nhava Sheva

NSICT - Mumbai ETA

ETD

Service

Vessel Name

8-4

9-4

MESAWA

9-4

10-4

9-4

Voy

Agent/Line

Calling Ports

CMA CGM JAMAICA

CCA

Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Valencia, New York, Norfolk, Charleston, Savannah, Freeport

INDUS

MSC GIULIA

MSC

Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Valencia, New York, Norfolk, Charleston, Savannah, Freeport

10-4

GIX

SCIO SKY

PRD

Port Elizabeth, Durban, Port Louis, Jebel Ali, Mundra, JNPT, Colombo

9-4

10-4

BMM

HAZEL

PRD

10-4

11-4

MIDAS

BUXFAVOURITE

MSK

10-4

11-4

AIM

WESTERMOOR

HLI

11-4

12-4

IEX

CAPE MORETON

SBG

11-4

12-4

MWE

MAERSK BENTONVILLE

MSK

12-4

13/04

MECL

MAERSK HARTFORD

MSK

Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Port Qasim, Singapore

Colombo, Damietta Piraes Rotterdam, London

Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Valencia, New York, Norfolk, Charleston, Savannah, Freeport

Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal ETA

ETD

Service

Vessel Name

Voy

Agent/Line

Calling Ports

08/04

09/04

FLC

MSC AZOV

K1789

MSC

JEA, DMM, AUH, TAO, UQR, HMD

10/04

10/04

SWAX

JOGELA

K1778

HLI

DAR,JEC,JEA,MUN,MBA

11/04

11/04

EPIC2

SOUTHAMPTON EXPRESS

K1779

CMA

TNG, ANR, RTM, LGP, HAM, JED, MUN, KHI, LEH

As the data is received by us, sometimes even at the eleventh hour by telephonic messages from the concerned Steamer Agents, there is every likelihood of last minute changes in the data published for which and also for the printing errors occuring the Management of Port Wings is not responsible or liable.

NCT, Krishnapatnam ETA

10/04

ETD

11/04

Service

ACS

Vessel Name

Hyundai Paramount

Voy

52E

Agent/Line

Calling Ports

Hyundai, RCL & XCL

Krishnapatnam, West Port Klang , Singapore, Cailan, Busan, Ulsan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian

14/04

15/04

ACS

Hyundai Prestige

71E

Hyundai, RCL & XCL

Krishnapatnam, West Port Klang , Singapore, Cailan- Busan, Ulsan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian

13/04

14/4

CHX

Northern Promotion

016E

Maersk & Safmarine

Ennore, Krishnapatnam, Visakhapatnam, Tanjung Pelepas, Xingang, Qingdao

12-4

13/04

IEX

AL Manamah

2010E

Hapag ,ONE,COSCO,OOCL,

Colombo, Damietta Piraes Rotterdam, London

10/04

11/04

VCH-2

Kapitan Maslov

84

MSC & NVOs

Colombo

08/04

09/04

COASTAL

SSL Sabaramalai

57

Colombo

10/04

11/04

ECX

SSL Visakhapatnam

102

Haldia, Paradip

12-4

13/04

EXPRESS SERVICE

SSL Kochi

180

Haldia

11/04

12/04

MEARSK SHUTTLE

Mexico

2012

12/04

13/04

PIX-2

SCI Chennai

471

Maersk & Safmarine,XCL

Colombo,Salalah Haldia,Colombo

Demand for Consumer Goods Keeps Logistics Platforms Going

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Chennai

Port Wings News Network ovid-19 has not only brought the whole world to a standstill but also disrupted businesses across sectors. Things are no different for the $200 billion-plus Indian logistics industry — most supplies and deliveries came to a grinding halt when the country went into a nationwide lockdown, says a BusinessLine report.

But these platforms are now beginning to see a silver lining, thanks to the persistent demand for consumer goods.

Praharsh Chandra, co-founder and COO of Shadowfax, a crowd-sourced business to business (B2B) last-mile delivery services platform, said it has seen more than a 2X increase in demand from its grocery and pharma clients over the past few days.

“We have been focussing our energies on enabling deliveries of these essential commodities during the lockdown,” Chandra said. “Other non-essential categories have seen drops of almost 90 per cent,” he added.

Sachin Haritash, founder & CEO of Mavyn, a digital trucking company, said the company has been seeing a nearly 150 per cent surge in business since Monday, due to the increase in demand for FMCG products.

According to a recent report by logistics platform ClickPost and Shadowfax, the Indian e-commerce logistics industry saw a 21 per cent increase in order delays and a 9 per cent rise in stuck shipments between March 10 and March 20. This was even before the government announced the nationwide lockdown, on March 24. Data also showed that deliveries had already declined by 9 per cent during that period.

“The consumer durable and auto industry are in complete lockdown with almost no business,” said Haritash. He added that the e-commerce industry business is down 90 per cent and only grocery shipments are happening.

In the aftermath of Covid-19, the company is only recording a cumulative 20 per cent business, Haritash said. He also estimated the impact on the logistics industry would be $4050 billion by April 15.

Due to the lockdown, e-commerce has also been facing disruptions, with a few warehouse locations becoming unserviceable.

Furthermore, the number of deliveries that were sent back to the pick-up location — the return to origin rate — has also climbed over the past few days.

“There has been an initial increase in return to origin percentages last week, of 9-10 percentage points, since a lot of deliveries got delayed post the lockdown,” said Shadowfax’s Chandra. “However, we expect it to reduce significantly from this week onwards,” he added.

Challenges in delivery Thanks to the rising demand for consumer goods and the fact that the public is not too keen to step out to make purchases at stores and supermarkets, these firms now cater to more districts and cities across the country. But how are they managing the surge — be it in terms of the documents required to travel or the shortage of riders to deliver goods? What are the impediments these firms are facing? How are these platforms ensuring the timely delivery of goods?

“One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that our delivery partners have appropriate government-sanctioned passes and are not stopped by police administration in any of the cities,” said Chandra.

The delivery rates have also shot up 300-400 per cent for short distances (100-800 km) and 150-200 per cent (more than 800 km) for long distances, said Mavyn’s Haritash.

To keep the business going, these platforms are finding new ways to manage deliveries in the most effective ways possible. They are also ramping up their fleet to serve as many orders as possible to make up for the dearth of riders.

Pratish Sanghvi, co-founder of Grab, a lastmile logistics company for businesses, said that due to the significant drop in the foodtech space, a lot of riders who were earlier with companies such as Zomato and Swiggy recently joined Grab. He added that they are trying to integrate deliveries in such a way that more customers can be served, plus the rider also spends a shorter period of time on the field.

Apr. 8th - 14th Issue

Government Should Reduce Corporate Tax Rate, asks All India Association of Industries Chennai

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Port Wings News Network he All India Association of Industries (AIAI) has been working in the interests of the trade, industry and employment since 1956. Mr. Vijay Kalantri, President, All India Industries Association said that India manufacturing sector has been a victim of asymmetric regulation and regressive policies have led to criminalization of the working capital need of the working capital need intensive manufacturing sector especially in case of MSMEs. Implementation of GST has led to hitting the financing of numerous day-to-day formal business transactions. Some of the facts that need attention are, • MSMEs had been securing unaccounted capital YoY only to buffer economic shocks however post GST implementation is termed as unaccounted money and a part of the shadow economy which falls below the tax-paying slab.

• MSMEs had secured capital for their working capital requirement through NFC s ,only 5-10 percent i.e 1-3rd fund is availed through bank finance, due to the ease of lending which otherwise is absent in the bank lending process . As formal transactions carried risk and fear of income tax scrutiny, harassment and retrospective tax.

• Disruption in circulation of unaccounted business capital/funds arising from the strict accounting standards has led to a mismatch which has created unprecedented liquidity crisis across businesses.

• Small and medium sized enterprises (SME) particularly suffer from high compliance costs in order to gather necessary information for tax compliance, fill out tax forms etc. The problematic

set of regulations incur additional regulatory costs while doing business.

• Tax-evasion at the individual business level becomes a necessity due to prevailing industry practices

and tax evasion by competitors.

Such a balance of unaccounted capital lying with the companies secured for business shocks and unrealistic treatment of this capital on par with unaccounted money under voluntary income disclosure schemes disincentivised its conversion into formal money. With the advent of the GST such practice has been banned to large extent in order to decrease unaccounted money in the business so as to increase the monitor the payment of taxes . GDP contribution against the payment of the taxes has been a approximate measure to counter tax evasion in the system.

However, such a tightening of financial input has led to impromptu problems in the financing needs of the MSME sector. Demonetisation and GST have wrongly criminalised unaccounted MSME funds, which lie frozen in banks. These funds should be released. The GST was expected to boost manufacturing, capex, employment, tax revenue and formalisation of the informal sector.

However, these objectives remain mostly unrealised due to disruptions

in circulation of unaccounted/ informal business capital/working funds.

Thus, AIAI suggest: Conversion of business capital in the forms of unaccounted cash/bank deposits into formal funds may be allowed to GST-registered firms only with 10-20 per cent progressive penalty structure; Conversion may be restricted to deposits up to Rs 2 crore. This may facilitate a business to have an annual turnover of Rs810 crore with four to five working capital cycles in a year. The deposit to be used for business transactions only; The scheme should adjust itself in terms of penalty rates and conversion amount can be finetuned/changed after discussions with trade and industry; and All the unaccounted funds/cash holdings/ bank deposits of a business need to be deposited in a designated current account of a bank linked to business activities under GST. THE EFFECT Informal businesses will come under the GST ambit; Employment will increase. Tax revenue may surpass the estimates; The supply chain financing network can be boosted without loss of time; Transmission of liquidity and late payment shocks are controlled; Revival of the unorganised sector will be faster, steady and efficient; Higher growth will mitigate NPA problems and lead to better NPA asset value.

"No doubt, some unaccounted money may flow in under the scheme. However, the saving grace is that this money will then be used for productive purposes. It may be considered a small evil to achieve larger national goals in terms of business growth, employment and formalisation of business transactions," added Mr. Kalantri.

Digital Certificate of Origin Facility by FIEO Providing Huge Relief to Exporters: Sharad Kumar Saraf Chennai

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Port Wings News Network esponding to the challenges faced by the Exporters during lockdown to obtain Certificate of Origin (CoO) NonPreferential CoO: to ascertain the origin of goods and Preferential CoO: to get tariff advantage in partners (importing) countries, FIEO has started the facility of the digital certificate of origin (both non-preferential and preferential, for which it is authorized) using

FIEO’s online CoO system.

Mr. Sharad Kumar Saraf, The facility President, FIEO will reduce the transaction time and cost of exporters also. Such a facility will help exporters to send CoO electronically to buyers to help

them clear the consignment particularly as most of the courier companies are not operating in the country. Many of the countries are now accepting scanned / digital copies of the Certificate of Origins.

FIEO is also updating information relating to Covid-19, having bearing on exports/imports, at its website under the banner "Updates on Covid-19". It has urged exporters/ importers to access it to update themselves on a real-time basis.

Russian Railways Will Provide Delivery of Coronavirus Protective Supplies From Wuhan to Europe Chennai

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Port Wings News Network he first train from Wuhan (Hubei Province, China) to Duisburg has resumed regular container transportation between China and Europe since the COVID-19 outbreak. A train made up of fifty 40-foot containers left Wuhan on March 28, 2020.

They were reloaded onto broadgauge wagons today, April 1, at the Dostyk station on the border between Kazakhstan and China. The train is

now traveling through Kazakhstan and will go through Russia and

Belarus on the UTLC Eurasian Railway Alliance route (part of JSC Russian Railways). The train is

scheduled to arrive in Germany on April 12. It will deliver 166.4 t of PPE, including 19 containers full of medical masks.

It is also transporting auto parts, electronics, telecommunication fiber optics, and components for repairing railway infrastructure. After the train arrives at Duisburg (Germany), the cargo will then be shipped to other destinations in Germany, as well as to France, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, etc.

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NEWS - BITS APL Announces Arrangement for Cargo Bound for Chittagong

APL said that due to recent developments in Bangladesh, terminal operations and pick-up of inbound containers has been slow and the yards in Chittagong are reaching full capacity, and most reefer plugs are already being occupied.

APL press release said in its press release: "In view of the operational challenges, to facilitate cargo movement and keep your cargo in optimum condition, the evolving situation may require us, as your responsible carrier, to make temporary storage arrangements for your cargo in transit. This may involve diverting your cargo to another location for interim storage".

"As we try our best to safeguard your cargo, please note that all related costs will be on the Shipper’s account upon delivery".

"On the other hand, if your containers have already arrived at the Chittagong container terminals, we strongly urge you to make arrangement to pick them up as soon as possible to avoid accumulating demurrage fees."

PGS Announces Capacity Adjustments, to lay-up its 3D Vessels as a Response Measure to COVID-19 The corona virus pandemic and the disruption in the oil market present unprecedented challenges for the offshore services industry. PGS says it is doing its utmost to ensure the health and safety of employees, their families and other personnel, and to maintain uninterrupted operations. The Company has implemented preventive measures and contingency plans, and is managing all its activities in close dialogue with clients, authorities and other relevant stakeholders.

So far, PGS have been able to continue vessel operations without interruptions.

Short-term, severe logistical challenges caused by travel restrictions and quarantine provisions impacting crew-changes have been resolved by cancelling all crew changes since March 18, with all crews continuing on a second full rotation. The extended crew periods will start coming to an end in the latter part of April, and the Company believes it will be able to find viable methods for crew rotations.

The low oil price will have a material negative impact on demand for seismic services and activity levels. The Company is implementing substantial cost and capital expenditure measures to meet an expected significant revenue reduction.

Details relating to such measures will be provided in connection with the Q1 2020 earnings release on April 23, 2020.

Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton Offloads More than 20,000 Pounds of Illegal Drugs

The Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton crew offloaded more than 18,700 pounds of cocaine, nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana and 15 gallons of liquefied cocaine, all worth more than an estimate $324 million at Port Everglades.

The drugs were interdicted in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America, including contraband seized and recovered during 15 interdictions of suspected drug smuggling vessels by nine American and Canadian ships.

Numerous U.S. agencies from the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security cooperated in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with allied and international partner agencies, play a role in counter-drug operations. The fight against drug cartels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean requires unity of effort in all phases from detection, monitoring and interdictions, to criminal prosecutions by U.S. Attorneys in districts across the nation.

During at-sea interdictions, a suspect vessel is initially detected and monitored by allied, military or law enforcement personnel coordinated by Joint Interagency Task Force-South based in Key West, Florida. The law enforcement phase of counter-smuggling operations in the Eastern Pacific is conducted under the authority of the Coast Guard 11th District, headquartered in Alameda, California.

The interdictions, including the actual boardings, are led and conducted by members of the U.S. Coast Guard.

CUSTOMS EXCHANGE RATES Notification No.37/2020 (N.T.) ALL RATES PER UNIT

FOREIGN CURRENCY Australian Dollar Bahraini Dinar Canadian Dollar Chinese Yuan Danish Kroner EURO Hong Kong Dollar Kuwaiti Dinar New Zealand Dollar Norwegian Kroner Pound Sterling Qatari Riyal Saudi Arabian Riyal Singapore Dollar South African Rand Swedish Kroner Swiss Franc Turkish Lira UAE Dirham US Dollar Japanese Yen Korean Won

with effect from 2nd April 2020

RATE (INR) Import Export 47.80 203.05 54.20 10.80 11.35 84.75 9.90 247.90 46.75 7.30 94.85 21.40 20.75 53.95 4.35 7.65 80.20 11.85 21.20 76.35 70.95 6.40

45.65 197.60 52.40 10.50 10.95 81.75 9.55 232.25 44.55 7.05 91.55 20.10 19.45 52.15 4.05 7.40 77.10 11.15 19.90 74.65 68.35 6.00

We are not responsible for any mistake. ALL RATES ARE PROVISIONAL. The rates in these column are only meant for guidance.

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RNI No. TNENG/2014/59741 Postal Registration No. TN/CNIGPO/067/2018-2020 Posted at Pathrika Channel, Egmore, RMS, Chennai-8.

Date of Publication - Wednesday, Posted on Tuesday / Wednesday

Air Cargo Demand Slumps in February as COVID-19 Takes Hold: IATA Chennai

Port Wings News Network he International Air Transport Association (IATA) released February 2020 data for global air freight markets on 1 April 2020 showing that demand, measured in cargo tonne kilometers (CTKs*), decreased by 1.4% compared to the same period in 2019. Adjusting the comparison for the impact of the Lunar New Year, which fell in February in 2019, and the leap year in 2020, which meant an additional day of activity, seasonally-adjusted demand was down 9.1% month-onmonth in February.

By February, the negative impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on air cargo demand were becoming visible. The month witnessed several significant developments: Manufacturing production in China, one of the world’s largest air cargo markets, dropped sharply due to widespread factory closures and travel restrictions; Global export orders fell to a historically low level; The global Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) is in contraction territory, with all major trading nations reporting falling orders; Significant cargo capacity was lost as a result of airlines reducing passenger operations in response to government travel restrictions due to COVID-19, severely impacting global supply chains.

Cargo capacity, measured in available cargo tonne kilometers (ACTKs), dropped by 4.4% yearon-year in February 2020. This is subject to the same distortions as the non-seasonally adjusted demand numbers.

Mr Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO, said, “The spread of COVID-19 intensified over the month of February, and with it, the impact on air cargo. Adjusted demand for air cargo fell by 9.1%. Asia-Pacific carriers were the most affected with a seasonally-adjusted drop of 15.5%.

What has unfolded since is a story of two halves. The disruption of global supply chains led to a fall in demand. But the dramatic disruption in passenger traffic resulted in even

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deeper cuts to cargo capacity. And the industry is struggling to serve remaining demand with the limited capacity available. We only got a first glimpse of this in February.

Among all the uncertainty in this crisis, one thing is clear—air cargo is vital. It is delivering lifesaving drugs and medical equipment.

And it is supporting global supply chains. That’s why it is critical for governments to remove any blockers as the industry does all

it can to keep the global air cargo network functioning in the crisis and ready for the recovery.”

Regional Performance Airlines in Europe suffered a sizeable decline in year-on-year growth in total air cargo volumes in February 2020, while North American and Asia-Pacific carriers experienced more moderate falls.

Middle East, Latin America and Africa were the only regions to record growth in air freight demand compared to February 2019.

Asia-Pacific airlines saw demand for air cargo contract by 2.2% in February 2020, compared to the year-earlier period. Seasonallyadjusted cargo demand fell by 15.5% compared to January 2020, to levels last seen in early 2014. The drop in demand was largely due to the impact of COVID-19. Capacity decreased 17.7% - the largest fall since early 2013. Cargo capacity in China dropped sharply in February, driven in large part by the collapse of belly-hold capacity.

North American airlines saw demand decrease by 1.8% in February 2020, compared to the

same period a year earlier. Capacity increased by 4.1%. Cargo traffic on the Asia-North America trade lanes decreased by 2.4% year-on-year as a result of factory closures in Asia due to COVID-19.

European airlines posted a 4.1% decrease in cargo demand in February 2020 compared to the same period a year earlier. European carriers were among the first to cancel flights to and from Asia, contributing to the drop in demand in February. The Within Europe market decreased by 7.8% year-onyear. This suggests that the region was affected by global supply chain disruptions and early COVID-19 containment measures – notably in Northern Italy, an important manufacturing region.

Capacity decreased by 3.8% year-on-year.

Middle Eastern airlines’ cargo demand increased 4.3% in February 2020 compared to the year-ago period. Capacity increased by 6.0%.

However, given the Middle East’s position connecting trade between China and the rest of the world, the region’s carriers have significant exposure to the impact of COVID-19 in the period ahead.

Latin American airlines experienced an increase in freight demand in February 2020 of 1.8%.

Capacity decreased by 2.6% yearon-year. The region was relatively unaffected by the COVID‑19 outbreak in February. However, disrupted global supply chains and a fragile economic backdrop in some countries in the region continue to create headwinds for air cargo.

African carriers posted the fastest growth of any region for the 12th consecutive month in February 2020, with an increase in demand of 6.2% compared to the same period a year earlier. Capacity grew 3.0% yearon-year. The Africa-Asia and AfricaMiddle East trade lanes continue to bring robust growth to the region.

Agency Chiefs Issue Joint Call to Keep Food Trade Flowing in Response to COVID-19 Chennai

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Port Wings News Network he heads of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a joint statement on 31 March calling on governments to minimise the impact of COVID-19 related border restrictions on trade in food.

“Now is the time to show solidarity, act responsibly and adhere to our common goal of enhancing food security, food safety and nutrition and improving the general welfare of people around the world,” the agency heads said. The Joint Statement is below.

Joint Statement by QU Dongyu, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Roberto Azevêdo, DirectorsGeneral of FAO, WHO and WTO Millions of people around the world depend on international trade for their food security and livelihoods. As countries move to enact measures aiming to halt the accelerating COVID-19 pandemic, care must be taken to minimise potential impacts on the food supply

or unintended consequences on global trade and food security.

When acting to protect the health and well-being of their citizens, countries should ensure that any trade-related measures do not disrupt the food supply chain. Such disruptions including hampering the movement of agricultural and food industry workers and extending border delays for food containers, result in the spoilage of perishables and increasing food waste. Food trade restrictions could also be linked to unjustified concerns on food safety. If such a scenario were to materialize, it would disrupt the food supply chain, with particularly pronounced consequences for the most vulnerable and food insecure populations.

We must prevent the repeat of such damaging measures. It is at times like this that more, not less, international cooperation becomes vital. In the midst of the COVID-19 lockdowns, every effort must be made to ensure that trade flows as freely as possible, specially to avoid food shortage. Similarly, it is also critical that food producers

and food workers at processing and retail level are protected to minimise the spread of the disease within this sector and maintain food supply chains. Consumers, in particular the most vulnerable, must continue to be able to access food within their communities under strict safety requirements.

We must also ensure that information on food-related trade measures, levels of food production, consumption and stocks, as well as on food prices, is available to all in real time. This reduces uncertainty and allows producers, consumers and traders to make informed decisions. Above all, it helps contain ‘panic buying’ and the hoarding of food and other essential items.

Now is the time to show solidarity, act responsibly and adhere to our common goal of enhancing food security, food safety and nutrition and improving the general welfare of people around the world. We must ensure that our response to COVID-19 does not unintentionally create unwarranted shortages of essential items and exacerbate hunger and malnutrition.

Apr. 8th - 14th Issue

THE Alliance Announces COVID-19 Response Measures for April 2020 Chennai

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Port Wings News Network ue to the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the forecasted sharp downturn in demand, members of THE Alliance Hapag-Lloyd, HMM, Ocean Network Express, and Yang Ming have decided to modify our April sailing schedules as follows: Asia and North Europe Week 15 – FE2 void Week 16 – FE4 and FP2 EUR void Week 17 – FE2 and FP2 EUR void Week 18 – FE3 and FE4 void Asia and the Mediterranean Week 15 – MD1 void Week 16 – MD2 and MD3 void Week 17 – MD1 void Week 18 – MD2 void Transpacific – West Coast Week 14 – PN4 void Week 15 – PS5 and PN4 void Week 16 – PS4 and PS5 void Week 17 – PS3*, PS5, PN3 and PN4 void Week 18 – PS4, PS5 void *HMM does not participate in Week 17 PS3 Transpacific – East Coast (via Panama and Suez Canals) Week 14 – EC3 void Week 15 – EC3 void Week 16 – EC3 void

Week 17 – EC3 void Week 18 – EC3 void Transatlantic* Week 15 – AL2 and AL5 void Week 17 – AL1 and AL4 void *HMM does not participate on the Atlantic Trade In addition to the voyages voided in April, THE Alliance members are currently preparing further, structural changes to our 2020 product and will make respective announcements in the upcoming week. The adjustments to our services are based on the

requirements of the market in the current situation. Despite these changes, we continue to offer a reliable product for our respective customers during this challenging period and do our very best to maintain their supply chains and offering alternatives.

The members of THE Alliance stand fast and will continue to offer custom fit solutions to the market and navigate the global pandemic together with our respective clients, vendors, and employees. We thank you for your continued support through these challenging times.

MSC Unveils New Flexible Cargo Service to Meet Demand From Asia Chennai

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Port Wings News Network SC Mediterranean Shipping Company’s new “Suspension of Transit” (SOT) programme is a flexible cargo service that will help to fulfil the imminent resumption of demand from Asia and ensure service continuity. It includes container yard storage in six transshipment hubs across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas, ensuring that goods can be shipped close to their destinations as soon as possible and providing easier cargo flow for customers.

MSC notes that: China has shown signs of recovery with factories restarting production; The new SOT programme will help avoid high storage costs at ports of discharge; As part of its ongoing response to the impact of COVID-19, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, a global leader in container shipping and logistics, has developed a Suspension of Transit (SOT) container shipping programme to prepare for a recovery in demand for freight services once the impact of the pandemic eases.

The programme builds on MSC’s ongoing efforts to ensure business continuity and the maintenance of vital container carriage services, such as the movement of food, fresh produce, medical equipment and other essential goods. The new SOT initiative is focused in particular on a resumption of demand of a wide variety of goods from Asia.

Signs of recovery While positive signs of recovery have begun to emerge in Asia and factories have restarted production,

major ports of destination may still not be ready to discharge containers.

MSC’s new SOT programme aims to fulfil the resuming demand for raw materials and finished products from Asia by providing yard storage at major strategic points around the world: Bremerhaven in Germany, Busan in South Korea, King Abdullah Port in Saudi Arabia, Lome in Togo, Rodman PSA Panama International Terminal in Panama, and Tekirdag Asyaport in Turkey.

The programme is aimed at all shippers for containers from Asia and all types of cargo, except reefer (refrigerated cargo), dangerous goods and project cargo (such as large, out-of-gauge pieces of heavy equipment that do not normally fit into containers).

Cost savings The MSC SOT programme provides potential cost savings for customers faced with high warehousing storage costs at destination, demurrage, per-diem and other charges. It will also free up space at origin factories and warehouses and avoid excess inventory at site, bringing cargo closer to destination markets and alleviating the risk of congestion or closure at ports of discharge.

The lead time will be reduced once operations resume at destination ports, and the programme will also add storage for beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) and non-vessel owning common carriers (NVOCCs), who would otherwise reach their full capacity.

For more information on MSC’s Suspension of Transit programme: www.msc.com/sot

Port Wings - Maritime Exim Weekly Newspaper : Published by K.Sivakumar on behalf of Universal Media Associates, Old No.72, New No.149, 1st Floor, Srinivasa Complex, Linghi Street, Mannady, Chennai - 600 001. And Printed by V.Meganathan at Web Kingdom, No.115, Jani John Khan Road, Royapettah, Chennai – 600014. Editor: K.Sivakumar.