Sri Lanka, Japan, and India have reached an agreement to cooperate on the development of Colombo South Port’s East Container Terminal (ECT) in Sri Lanka.

The governments of the respective countries signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on the matter on May 28, reflecting the longstanding good will and cooperation among the parties.

Japan has provided cooperation for the development of the Jaya Container Terminal since the 1980’s, while around 70% of Colombo Port’s transshipment business is India-related.

Sri Lanka, Japan and India will work together for further development of the Colombo Port and contribute to further regional prosperity and stability of global trading networks.

Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) retains 100% ownership of East Container Terminal. The Terminal Operations Company (TOC) conducting all East Container Terminal operations is jointly owned by Sri Lanka, with a 51% stake, and the joint venture partners with a 49% stake.

SLPA said that the three governments would work out details based on the MOC at joint working group meetings, and advance their cooperation towards early commencement of work and operation of the ECT.

Reference:worldmaritimenews.com

The soon-to-be first digital shipping company, chosen out of 17 global applicants, is set to be revealed on June 6 in Oslo, Norway, during Nor-Shipping, the largest global shipping event of 2019.

Earlier this week, the final scoring of the competition’s contestants had been performed, and a notice to the winning shipping company had been sent.

The news would be revealed at the end of a Contopia-themed panel of experts discussing the various use cases for the first digital shipping company, according to Loginno, the company that is creating the world’s Internet-of-Shipping-Containers infrastructure named Contopia (Container Utopia).

The digital shipping company would use the disruptive Israeli IoT technology for end to end supply chain visibility.

Ahead of the The Contopia Factor competition winner announcement, Loginno is warming up the engines with a surprise reveal of the technological foundation upon which the winning shipping company’s digital infrastructure will be built.

In a closed event held in Tel Aviv, Loginno unveiled the 5th generation of its critically acclaimed AGAM device, whose unique installation method as a standard container vent allows every container service depot to install it with no training.

While this operational side of Loginno’s patent-protected hardware was already known, founder Amit Aflalo, got into the technical specifics of what he dubs “both the smartest and the most affordable shipping container brain in existence today.”

“It is the only wide-area communications device with battery life of 10+ years without recharge, effectively making it a permanent solution for every shipping container, never to be taken off during its entire lifetime of usage,” Aflalo added.

Reference: worldmaritimenews.com

Persistent attacks by ethnic Baloch separatists are hampering the development of the Chinese-operated port of Gwadar, Pakistan, the linchpin of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. 

On May 11, Baloch Liberation Army gunmen attacked the most luxurious hotel in Gwadar, killing five Pakistani citizens and one soldier. The attack followed just one month after the same group killed 14 people on Gwadar's Makran Coastal Highway - including 11 military servicemembers - and six months after an attack on the Chinese embassy in Karachi killed two policemen and two civilians. 

The ethnic Balochi homeland (Balochistan) straddles the Pakistani-Iranian border between Karachi and Bandar Abbas, extending inland as far as Afghanistan. It was an independent kingdom until British conquest in the 1800s, and Baloch nationalists would like to see the region regain its political autonomy. 

Baloch militants have fought multiple insurgencies against the Pakistani government since the late 1940s, and their recent actions have targeted Gwadar and the CPEC project in particular. The construction of the port and the associated public works have relied heavily upon Chinese contractors, and Baloch groups assert that they have been excluded from the jobs and economic benefits of the project. The Baloch Liberation Army has called for China to cease its involvement in the region's development. 

The Pakistani government has pledged to provide security for Chinese interests in Balochistan, and has set up a dedicated 15,000-strong military division for CPEC. However, the hotel attack earlier this month showed that militants are able to penetrate the defensive perimeter and security controls that Pakistani forces have emplaced around Gwadar. 

Zhou Chenming, a Chinese military analyst based in Beijing, recently told the South China Morning Post that the security situation might make think Chinese entrepreneurs think twice before doing business in the reason. "Pakistan's economy is not very good, and this port has become very wasteful," he said. "Under these circumstances, including with the hotel attack, how can China conduct its business?"

Reference: maritime-executive.com

South Korean shipping company Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) has launched a new corporate identity (CI) in an effort to enhance its brand equity.

According to the company, the CI reflects HMM’s “vision and ambition to take a leap forward to the bright future”.

The CI was unveiled by Jae-hoon Bae, the newly appointed President and CEO of HMM, on May 20, 2019.

“It is memorable and meaningful for HMM to introduce its new CI today, which is expected to elevate the brand equity and value of the company,” HMM CEO commented.

“Based on the strong dedication and willpower that all employees have demonstrated, HMM will make a fresh resolution to become a global top-rated carrier in 2022,” Bae added.

As explained by HMM, the new CI features “pride of Korea’s national flagship carrier as well as an intuitive grasp of shipping business.”

In addition, the blue HMM letter embodies the shape of the front of a large ship crossing the ocean, and the red line on top represents the rising sun on the horizon where the ship is sailing.

In October 2018, HMM presented its target of expanding fleet capacity to 1 million TEUs and posting USD 10 billion in annual revenue by 2022.

Earlier that year, HMM ordered at domestic shipyards twelve 23,000 TEU and eight 15,000 TEU eco-friendly mega vessels in preparation for the IMO’s sulfur regulations starting from 2022. The new mega ships are expected to be delivered from 2020.

Image Courtesy: Hyundai Merchant Marine

Reference: worldmaritimenews.com

A small cargo ship carrying vehicles and tires caught fire in Sharjah’s Port Khalid, UAE, on May 8.

A total of 13 Indian seafarers were rescued from the vessel, with none needing medical attention, local reports said.

Firefighters managed to extinguish the fire, however the vessel was almost completely destroyed, according to photos from the scene.

In addition to vehicles and tires, the vessel is said to have been carrying 6,000 gallons of diesel.

Reference: worldmaritimenews.com

“Precise planning for small ports has been carried out and boosting the cabotage of goods between main ports and small ports is on the agenda.” said the Managing Director of Ports and Maritime Organization.

Mohammad Rastad, pointing to the fact that a part of the country's regional interactions, including export and import, is carried out through small ports, stated that meanwhile, a significant portion of job creation on the coast and the economic prosperity of these areas are realized through small ports.

He added: "The Ports and Maritime Organization will do its best by providing a detailed plan for the traditional and commercial fleet so they could utilize the best possible facilities for their operations. “

Emphasizing that the major part of the traditional and lightweight fleet on the southern coasts of the country are engaged in commercial activities and shipping, the deputy minister of Roads and Urban planning stated that this opportunity needs to be provided in order to strengthen the cabotage of goods between main ports and small ports.

Rastad Also elaborated that using the capacity of small ports, transfer of goods on the coast and in the form of transshipment should also be considered.

He concluded: The Ports and Maritime Organization has considered the development of small ports as a priority this year and paying more attention to small ports will enable these ports to operate well in the maritime transport sector.

Reference: pmo.ir

The Director General of Ports and Maritime Affairs of Sistan and Baluchestan met with Kazakh Ambassador to introduce the capabilities and investment opportunities of Chabahar Port at the Kazakhstan's embassy in Tehran.

Director General of Ports and Maritime Affairs of Sistan and Baluchestan met with the Kazakh ambassador to introduce the investment capacities and capabilities of Shahid Beheshti Port of Chabahar in order to expand and develop commercial-economic cooperation between two countries, while describing the investment opportunities of this port, Director General of Ports and Maritime Affairs stated that Chabahar oceanic port has the ideal opportunity to invest and develop regional cooperation in the fields of exports, imports, transshipment and transit of goods while it offers access to Central Asia and CIS countries.

In this meeting, the ambassador of Kazakhstan emphasized on the expansion of relations between the two countries and the maximum utilization of the port of Chabahar, he also stated: "Certainly, we will prioritize expert studies on taking these opportunities in Chabahar port."

Kazakh ambassador added that considering the successful investment in Chinese ports, we are willing to invest in Chabahar port after studies on construction of warehouses and Silos in particular.

Reference: Pmo.ir

Embattled UK transport secretary Chris Grayling is canceling two ferry contracts that his ministry took out as an insurance policy in the event of a "hard Brexit." 

If Britain had departed the European Union on March 29 without a customs agreement, as seemed likely earlier this year, new border control measures for cross-Channel trade would have been enacted. This would have slowed down port operations for the freight ferries that carry a large proportion of the UK's trade with continental Europe. Britain has since opted to ask Brussels for a delay for further negotiations, and it now has until October 31 to continue internal and external talks. 

"People would expect a responsible government to take out an insurance policy, and that's what we've done, to make sure we can deal with all the challenges in a no-deal Brexit," said Grayling. "We never wanted it, we never worked for it, but we sure as certain needed to be ready for it."

Now that the insurance policy is not needed, the Department for Transport has canceled its two remaining contingency contracts with DFDS and Brittany Ferries. The termination payouts and fees came to a total of about $65 million. 

Grayling's ministry paid another $1.3 million to a consultant to evaluate a contract with a third ferry operator. That contract has also been canceled, as the recently-founded operator had no ships. The Department of Transport has also paid out $43 million to Eurotunnel to settle a dispute over the fairness of the ferry contracts.

Prime Minister Theresa May's political opponents wasted no time in ridiculing the payments and calling for Grayling's removal. “Is Chris Grayling really worth so much to Theresa May that she’s happy to foot a [$108 million] bill racked up in just five months?" said Liberal Democrat spokesperson Jenny Randerson. "If there’s one thing that would unite us all in this Brexit chaos, it would be Mr Grayling being shown the door by the prime minister."

Referesh: maritime-executive.com

Danish shipping major Maersk has launched Customs Clearance online shipping management platform in seven European countries with an aim to provide simple and easy-to-use solutions.

The platform was set up for Germany, France, Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and Spain, the company said, adding that it plans to expand its offering across the world by the end of 2019.

Maersk explained that international trade is subjected to diverse and wide controls and customs regulations that need to be met to ensure that traded goods are entering and exiting legally. If a delay occurs, the entire plan gets affected. A delay causes increased expenses such as storage costs, fines, and penalties, resulting in additional problems for importers and exporters.

“This new one-stop-shop allows us to timely and efficiently handle export and import declarations for our customers. The solution provides downstream benefits of full governance and compliance, eliminates the need to provide a quote as pricing is displayed online, saving three to five minutes per quote,” Vincent Clerc, Chief Commercial Officer of A.P. Moller – Maersk, said.

“In other words, it saves our customers time, money and headaches reducing the number of intermediaries they deal with from three or four to just one as well as paperwork which subsequently reduce the time spent on transactional procedures.”

Maersk has piloted its Ocean and Customs Clearance shipping management platform for almost two years in Germany.

Reference:worldmaritimenews.com

Iran's Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Rastad explored ways of using trade and connectivity capacities with the Vietnamese officials.

The managing director of the Ports and Maritime Organization met Vietnamese national shipping authorities during a visit to Vietnam and discussed the trade and communications capacities of the two countries. The discussions focused on the launch of a shipping line between ports of the two countries.

Rastad also met with the Deputy Minister of Transportation during his visit to Vietnam and talked through the trade and communications capacities of the two countries on the development of port and maritime cooperation. Mr. Rastad praised the capabilities of the ports of Vietnam and the University of Marine Sciences, while expressing hope that in the future, there will be stronger ties to the corresponding sections in Iran.

The first meeting of Iran-Vietnam Maritime cooperation working group will be held in Tehran by the end of this year, said the managing director of the Ports and maritime Organization while emphasizing on the implementation of Article 15 of the Joint Shipment MoU.

Referring to port capacities and the transit role of Iran in the region, Rastad also pointed to the implementation of issues such as "supporting and setting up a shipping line between the two countries", "exploiting the academic capabilities of the two countries and establishing a link between the relevant authorities", and " facilitating financial transactions and facilitating the transfer of oil products, especially bitumen to Vietnam”

Rastad and accompanying delegation also visited Hai Phong, the biggest trade port in northern Vietnam, on the invitation of the country’s maritime officials and with the aim of boosting port and maritime cooperation. During the meeting, senior directors of the Hai Phong Port presented a report on its capacities and functions.

Reference: pmo.ir