Page 3 - Cargo

CBIC releases report on Indian cargo, shows improvement in release time

The average import release time has continued to improve, with a 20% reduction in ICD release time, an 11% reduction in ACC release time

Indian crew members of cargo ship return home after detention in Africa

Sixteen Indian crew members of a cargo vessel who were in detention for over nine months in Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria have returned to India following the government's lengthy negotiations with the authorities concerned, official sources said on Sunday. Oil tanker MT Heroic Idun and its 26 crew members, including 16 Indians, were in detention since August last year. They were initially detained in Equatorial Guinea and subsequently in Nigeria. The ship and crew were accused of various crimes, including oil theft. "Following lengthy negotiations, all charges against the crew were dropped and the ship was released on May 27 after paying the fines. The Indian crew members have now returned to India," said a source. The sources said the Indian Mission officials remained in regular touch with the crew and undertook consular access on numerous occasions. "From the outset, the government of India, through its missions in Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria, and in bilateral meetings, took

Working on concept to reduce average cargo release time to 1 hr: CBIC

Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Chairman Vivek Johri on Friday said they are committed to putting in place a concept to reduce the average release time of cargo to one hour in the future. He said that on the trade facilitation front, even though they have made very significant progress, more needs to be done. "We are drawing up our vision for the future as CBIC, particularly, for the Amrit kal, we are committed to putting in place a Customs-one. The concept of Customs-one is that we are targeting an average release time of one hour," he said here at an event. He said that the trade environment is changing, and a lot of challenges are there. Citing an example, he said as many free trade agreements are coming and that, there is a need to look at ways to verify the certificate of country of origin. He added that the government is taking a series of steps to ease processes for exports and imports. But still, there is a lot of work to do, he said, adding the nationa

Cargo traffic handled by major ports up 3.2% YoY at 68.06 MT in May: IPA

Cargo traffic handled by major ports in the country witnessed an annual rise of 3.2 per cent to 68.06 million tons (MT) in May this year, an official release said on Monday. These ports had handled a total of 65.94-million tons in May 2022, it said. During May 2023, the major ports handled a total 68.06 MT of cargo, against 65.95 MT handled during the corresponding period of last year, a year-on-year growth of 3.20 per cent, Indian Ports Association (IPA) said in a statement. There are 12 major ports, -- Deendayal (Kandla), Mumbai, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore (Kamarajar), Tuticorin (V O Chidambaranar), Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port. Of these, eight ports witnessed a surge in the cargo traffic handled by them during the previous month while the remaining four saw cargo traffic at their facilities declining on a year-on-year basis in May, the statement said. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP), Kolkata Port (Includ

After a two-year hiatus, domestic air cargo business seeing an uptick

As airlines expand capacity and seek global partnerships

Air India mulls inducting freighters to scale up its cargo business

Air India does not currently have any freighters, unlike IndiGo and SpiceJet; all the cargo it transports is carried in the belly space of its passenger planes

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority logs record growth in container traffic

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) on Monday said it has logged a record growth in container traffic at 6.05 million TEUs (Twenty-foot equivalent units) in FY23, a growth of 6.4 per cent over the year earlier. Total container traffic at the port in the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2022, was recorded at 5.68 million TEUs. The total traffic handled at the port during the just-concluded fiscal year stood at 83.86 MMT, which is 10.35 per cent higher than 76 MMT traffic handled for the same period of last year. "This proves our commitment towards making the Port a perfect getaway for EXIM trade. It is a token of port's consistent efforts and commitment to providing best services to our clients," said Sanjay Sethi, Chairman, JNPA. The port during the year also handled 6,504 container rakes and 1,022,951 TEUs as compared to 6,278 rakes and 1,008,079 TEUs during corresponding period of FY22, JNPA said. Sethi said that the container traffic at the port is expected to log 6.5 per ce

Chennai, Kamarajar Ports eye 100 million metric tonne cargo in FY24

The Chennai Port Trust and its subsidiary Kamarajar Port Ltd have set a target of crossing 100 million metric tonne of cargo in the current financial year, a top official said here on Monday. Both the ports handled 92.46 million metric tonne of cargo in the last financial year, Chairman and Managing Director Sunil Paliwal said. On the performance of the Ports, he said Chennai Port Trust handled 48.95 million metric tonne of cargo, which was up by 0.8 per cent from 48.56 million metric tonne handled last year. Kamarajar Port handled 43.51 million metric tonne of cargo in 2022-23 up by 12.31 per cent from 38.74 million metric tonne recorded the previous year. "Container is the major cargo handled by Chennai Port Trust. It is about 58 per cent. While liquid bulk and dry bulk cargo also witnessed a good growth this year," he told reporters. To a query, the Chairman said exports of automobiles grew last year at Chennai Port Trust following the signing of agreements with several automaj

SpiceJet restructuring balance sheet; to push for fleet expansion: CEO

SpiceJet chief Ajay Singh on Monday said the airline is significantly restructuring its balance sheet and will aggressively push for fleet expansion. The airline will also be having a significant number of dedicated cargo aircraft, he said, adding that the cargo business has helped the airline pay off its liabilities. Last month, the airline announced that Carlyle Aviation Partners will acquire a 7.5 per cent stake in the airline by converting outstanding dues as well as snap up shareholding in the cargo business. Besides, it is set to tap the Qualified Institutional Buyer (QIB) route to raise up to Rs 2,500 crore. Amid the budget carrier facing multiple headwinds, he also said that a measure of desperation is always good for an organisation... we will emerge stronger". "It is in our (SpiceJet) DNA. We just refuse to die," Singh said at a session at CAPA India aviation summit here. The airline is significantly restructuring the balance sheet and will be raising fresh capital. The

Boeing to set up freight conversion facility in India amid growing demand

Boeing Co will set up in India a facility to convert passenger aircraft into freight planes to capitalise on growing global demand for cargo, executives from the US aviation firm said on Friday

Kolkata Port registers 14.75% jump in cargo handling in Apr-Jan of FY23

Kolkata Port, now known as the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, on Friday said it has posted a record cargo handling of 54.254 million tonne in the first 10 months of the current fiscal, registering a 14.75 per cent growth over the same period last year. This achievement helped the riverine port rank fifth among Indian major ports, up from its previous sixth position, port chairman P L Haranadh said. SMP Kolkata manages two dock systems-Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) and Kolkata Dock System (KDS). HDC handled 40.162 million tonne of cargo and KDS 14.092 million tonne during the April-January period of the current fiscal. Both the dock system logged year-on-year growth of over 15 per cent, he said. The rail-borne traffic expanded to 28.823 million tonne was a significant factor to the port's achievement. Haranadh attributed diverse and the arrival of new and additional cargo to the record performance. The major commodities that contributed to the growth of traffic were LPG, vegetable oil,

Firm says cargo vessel 'MV Glory' ran aground in Egypt's Suez Canal

A cargo vessel ran aground in Egypt's Suez Canal on Monday, a canal service firm said. Leth Agencies said the vessel, MV Glory, ran aground near the city of Qantara, in the Suez Canal province of Ismailia. The firm said canal rigs are currently trying to refloat the vessel. A spokesman for the Suez Canal Authority did not respond to calls seeking comment.

The airlines we deserve

Two stories this week showed what's wrong with the attitudes of airlines and passengers

12 big telcos enquired about telecom stack, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

He said the government's Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) would be slowly enlarged to Rs 3,000-4,000 crore over a number of years, from the current Rs 500 crore per year

Railways plans to launch Vande Bharat trains for freight operations

The Centre, in this fiscal year's Union budget, had laid out a target to roll out 400 Vande Bharat trains by the end of 2024-25

Cargo hub on cards in Chhattisgarh to reach international markets

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had submitted a proposal for the hub at the 23rd meeting of the central zonal committee, held recently in Bhopal

RSIC plans to set up air cargo complex at Dabok airport in Udaipur

The Rajasthan Small Industries Corporation (RSIC) is planning to set up an air cargo complex at the Dabok airport in Udaipur to facilitate import and export of goods in the next few months

Cargo handling by Essar Vizag port up by 10% YoY to 1.3 mn tonnes in Apr

Surge in traffic marks the uptick in Indian steel sector, a major contributor to India's manufacturing output

IndiGo's cargo plans are independent of Interglobe-UPS JV, says airline

Interglobe Enterprise which holds 37.82% in IndiGo, is entering the business of logistics and cargo by forming a 50:50 joint venture with logistics giant UPS

Adani Ports cargo volumes accelerate to 300 million metric tonnes

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) on Tuesday said it has achieved the milestone of handling 300 million metric tonnes (MMT) of cargo well ahead of the year end