News Bulletin – 02 Dec 2021

1. Govt implementing Rs 320-cr project for 5 ports to enable digital ecosystem.

1 Jan 2020 : The government is implementing a Rs 320-crore project for five major ports in order to provide a digital port ecosystem, according to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

These ports are Mumbai, Chennai, Deendayal, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia). “An enterprise business system (EBS) is being implemented at five major ports with a project cost of about Rs 320 crore to provide a digital port ecosystem,” Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has said in a document.

The system will adopt international best practices without losing its alignment to existing local needs, it added. A total of 2,474 processes were rationalised, harmonised, optimised and standardised to arrive at a final re-engineered process count of 162 processes, it said.

2. India: Government approves Rs 3,000 crore project for Paradip port.

31 Dec 2020 : The government on Wednesday said it has approved a Rs 3,000 crore project to turn Paradip Port into a world-class port by setting up a dock. The decision to set up a western dock was taken by the Union Cabinet in its meeting held on Wednesday, Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said.

“The Cabinet has approved setting up of Western dock at Paradip port at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore which will transform the port into a world-class and modern port. The decision has been taken with a futuristic approach as Prime Minister has been laying emphasis on development of eastern states,” Mandaviya said briefing the media after the Cabinet meeting.

Paradip port in Odisha is one of the 12 major ports under the control of the Centre. Mandaviya said that the port handles the cargo of about 115 MT which is likely to increase substantially to about 400 MT by 2030 and the decision to set up western dock was taken to attract large vessels with capacity of handling 1.5 tonne cargo.

3. COVID-19 Accelerates Drive For Digitisation Of Shipping.

30 Dec 2020 : During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been much discussion about how digitisation has been critical to keep supply chains moving and enable the continued smooth operations of transportation networks, shipping and ports.

The realisation is that digitisation of shipping and logistics networks, has been vital in moving food, medical supplies and energy around the world. Companies that have not embarked on their digital journey, have realised during the pandemic that the analogue world and paper-based transactions are no longer a long-term option.

Reducing the risk inherent in physical paper-based transactions and human-to-human contact are now an imperative to fighting the pandemic. The transition to digitisation is moving at different speeds across the business world, at Hutchison Ports the company has been integrating new technology to its smart network strategy into its operations and business processes via standardisation, automation and digitalisation.

4. MUI : Maritime piracy major cause of concern for over two lakh Indian seafarers.

29 Dec 2020 : Concerned at rising incidents of piracy during the COVID-19 pandemic, maritime body MUI on Monday said it has become a major cause of worry for over two lakh Indian seafarers. The Maritime Union of India (MUI), India’s oldest union of merchant navy officers, said there is around 26 per cent increase in maritime piracy due to the pandemic, which has shut down many businesses and job opportunities around the world.

“The menace of maritime piracy is a major cause of concern for over two lakh Indian seafarers as India now provides around 9.35 per cent of the global seafarers and ranks third in the list of the largest seafarers supplying nations to the world maritime industry,” MUI said in a statement.

It said the West Coast of Africa comprising Benin, Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Ghana are the current hot spots of maritime piracy. “It has become a political issue unfortunately as governments of certain countries are unable or not willing to extend their control over various groups of pirates who manage to procure arms and ammunition without much difficulty,” said Amar Singh Thakur, General Secretary MUI.

5. Industry publishes new and improved cyber security guidelines.

28 Dec 2020 : The fourth edition of the industry cyber risk management guidelines, Guidelines on Cyber Security Onboard Ships is now available and lays the foundation for further improvements and refinement of companies’ cyber security risk assessments.

The version 4 of the cyber security guidelines is published at a time when shipowners and ship managers are faced with a requirement to implement cyber risk management in their safety management systems (SMS) by the time of their first Document of Compliance audit after 1 January 2021. While the previous version (version 3 dated November 2018) offered the necessary guidance for the initial work of implementing cyber risk management in the SMS, the new version contains several improvements.

“In recent years, the industry has been subjected to several significant incidents which have had a severe financial impact on the affected companies,” says Dirk Fry, chair of BIMCO’s cyber security working group and Director of Columbia Ship Management Ltd.

6. JNPT board clears privatisation of self-operated container terminal.

28 Dec 2020 : The board of trustees of Centre-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) on Thursday cleared a proposal to privatise the container terminal run by the port authority itself at the port located near Mumbai.

The proposal was cleared by the board of India’s biggest state-run container gateway with six trustees voting in favour and the two labour representatives voting against it.

Confirming the board approval, JNPT Deputy Chairman Unmesh Wagh said the proposal will be submitted to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways for ratification because the privatisation of the terminal will be undertaken through the public- private partnership (PPP) route at an estimated cost of over ₹800 crore.

Reference :

– indiaseatradenews.com

– www.bunkerportsnews.com

– www.dailyexcelsior.com

– www.hellenicshippingnews.com