association of multimodal transport...
TRANSCRIPT
ASSOCIATION OF MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT OPERATORS OF INDIA
Weekly News 22.11.2013—28.11.2013 Volume 1, Issue 35 Inside this issue:
India Natie Portal to support business development strate-gies between India & Belgium
1
India Natie Portal to support business development strate-gies between India & Belgium — Continued
2
Vasan flags off coal transport project at Haldia, inaugurates IWAI terminal at KDS
2
Kerala’s coastal shipping pro-ject seen holding promise 3
OOCL vessels meet Clean Shipping Index Verification Standards
3
Transworld Group takes deliv-ery & names latest newbuilding bulk carrier in China
4
Port of Antwerp sets global course 5 Sagar port, expansion projects seen benefiting KoPT 5 Dedicated Freight Corridor gets back on track 6 Port of Amsterdam partner-ship benefits towards a green metropolitan region
6
Belgian Deputy PM Didier Reynders invites Indian invest-ment
7
Spot prices on Asia-Europe trade up 7 Vasan recognizes importance of dredging projects 7 Humor
8
* To be launched by Princess Astrid of
Belgium
* Princess Astrid, G. K. Vasan to also
open Flemish art exhibition
* Biggest Belgian economic mission now
in India
The India Natie Web Portal, a joint initiative of the Association of Multimodal Transport Operators of India (AMTOI) and the Port of Antwerp, will be launched in Mumbai by HRH Princess Astrid of
Belgium on November 27.
Among those present on the occasion will be Mr Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs, Government of Belgium, Mr Kris Peeters, Minister-President of the Government of Flanders, and Flemish Minister for Economy, Foreign Policy, Agriculture and Rural Policy, and Mr Marc Van Peel, Chairman of Antwerp Port Authority, besides members of the Belgian Economic Mission visiting India and representatives of AMTOI and Antwerp
port, among others.
The idea of India Natie was conceptualized by Mr Tushar Jani, Past President of AMTOI and Mr Marc Van Peel during a visit to the port, with the objective of combining the Antwerp concept of merchandising with manufacturing capabilities present in India. Thus was born the concept of India Natie. Once both the organizations decided to pursue this idea, a formal agreement was signed between Port of Antwerp and AMTOI on February 8, 2012 during the Presidentship of Mr Anand
Sheth.
The genesis of the name Natie emerges from organised groups of the past called Naties which were started about 200 years ago. These commercial entities were engaged in the business of receiving, dispatching and carrying goods to and from warehouses. There already exists strong trade ties between Antwerp, Belgium and India; in 2012, 4.3 million tonnes of freight was carried to and from India and Belgium. Keeping this in mind, the original idea was to open a ‘Natie’ as per the existing concept of ‘Natie’ in Belgium. It was initially conceptualized to be a warehouse where Indian goods were to be put
up on display for buyers (clients) to come and pick them out.
When the idea was further deliberated between the Port of Antwerp and AMTOI, they came to the conclusion that it would be best to start this as a virtual platform, a digital portal where people could meet and understand the regulations and laws governing the transportation of cargoes in both
countries.
Such cooperation in the globalised economic scenario is very important; it facilitates knowledge/exchange and creation of networking opportunities initially between the freight forwarding communities, subsequently leading to covering the entire ex-im trade, including importers and exporters, and finally culminating in the setting up of India Pavilion in the Port of Antwerp, where
manufacturers will be able to display their wares.
India Natie Portal to support business development strategies between India & Belgium
As for the founding partners, AMTOI, having various
other trade bodies and associations on its extended
board and thus likened to be an apex body, is very willing
and capable to represent the Indian element. Antwerp
Port Authority is a partner in VEA, which is the
association of Antwerp forwarders and related business
companies. By providing a digital platform, India Natie aims to bridge the trade gap between India and Europe, thus benefiting Indian and Belgian
traders as they become privileged members of India Natie.
India Natie will have a lot to offer, be it market information on India and Port of Antwerp, business cases and testimonials, business directory,
latest news and events or FAQs, or any specific queries there might be. Keeping in mind the advancing technologies, it has been designed in a
dynamic manner where, within a few clicks, one would reach the desired information from the vast amount of data available. It is scalable to a
great extent.
Over a period of time, India Natie will be an essential tool and community to support business development strategies, highlighted a release.
Biggest ever Belgian business delegation
Meanwhile, Princess Astrid is also leading the biggest ever Belgian Economic Mission to India, comprising 344 participants, of which 287 are
businessmen and businesswomen. The aim of the mission is to further promote bilateral ties between India and Belgium, Belgium being India’s
second largest EU trading partner (with a value of over 12 billion Euros in 2012) after Germany but before the UK and France.
A number of MoUs are scheduled to be signed between the delegation members and Indian companies, including in ports and other
infrastructure and logistics. Apart from New Delhi and Mumbai, the delegation will also be visiting Chennai.
Art exhibition
Besides, the Port of Antwerp, City of Antwerp and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp are mounting an exhibition, ‘Flemish Master-
pieces From Antwerp’, of exclusive paintings and engravings from the 17th century by some leading masters of the day.
It will be officially opened by Princess Astrid and Mr G. K. Vasan, Union Minister for Shipping, at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu
Sangrahalaya, Mumbai on the evening of November 27. The exhibition will be open to the public from November 28, 2013 to
February 9, 2013.
India Natie Portal to support business development strategies between India & Belgium — Continued
Page 2
Vasan flags off coal transport project at Haldia, inaugurates IWAI terminal at KDS
THE Union Minister for Shipping, Mr G. K. Vasan, has flagged off an
NTPC project to transport 3 million tonnes of imported coal a year,
from Haldia port to its Farakka thermal power station in West
Bengal, through the Ganges. The company is likely to extend the
scope of water transportation to 7.5 million tonnes of a year in the
next couple of years.
The Minister also inaugurated a permanent inland water transport
terminal of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) at Garden
Reach jetty-2 at the Kolkata Dock System of KoPT. About Rs 38
crore was invested in the terminal.
Transportation of imported coal from Haldia port to nearly a dozen
NTPC power plants along the National Waterway-1 (NW-1)
between Kolkata and Allahabad is of particular interest to the
government.
Globally, nearly half of the coal is transported through waterways.
However, India has so far relied mainly on its rail network, followed
by roads, for transportation of the dry fuel.
"At present, 10 thermal power stations are operational along
NW-1, with 11 more projects having
15,000 MW installed capacity expected
to come up along the course in the next
5-8 years," Mr Vasan said, adding that
NW-1 is fully ready to cater to the
needs of NTPC and any other industrial
units that need to move bulk cargo along the banks of the Ganges.
NTPC has entered into a contract with Jindal ITF, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Jindal Saw Ltd, for the transloading operations to
Farakka. While part of the consignment will be used at the 2,100-MW
Farakka thermal power station, the rest will be transported to
NTPC’s 1,340-MW facility at Kahalgaon in Bihar using the merry-go-
round (rail network) between Farakka and Kahalgaon.
According to Mr Amitabh Verma, Chairman of IWAI, the project
would reduce NTPC’s coal transportation cost by at least 15 per
cent.
According to Mr Vasan, inland waterways will play a major role in
coal transportation over the next 7-8 years.
Page 3
Kerala’s coastal shipping project seen holding promise The frequent roadblocks and traffic congestion on Kochi roads are
expected to soon become a thing of the past once Kerala’s newly
launched coastal shipping project is fully implemented, according to
the relevant authorities. The project was inaugurated by the Kerala
Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, with the first ship arriving from
Gujarat
Speaking at the inauguration, Mr Chandy said, "For this, we need to
develop our ports. In the first phase, we will develop Beypore,
Azhikkal and Kollam ports and, in the second phase, Vizhinjam,
Ponnani and Kodungallur ports will also be developed."
The project aims at renovating and linking 17 non-major ports
across the state through small coastal vessels. Once implemented, it
is claimed that freight handling in Kerala would become easier.
"Kochi will be the main beneficiary once the project is implemented
fully. The number of cargo-carrying trucks, which create hurdles on
the highways and pollute the environment, will be reduced. But its
success largely depends on availability of cargo-carrying coastal ships
in the country, which are less in number at present, and introduction
of subsidies," an official of the Cochin Chamber of Commerce and
Industry said.
Opined a representative of Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation
Corporation: "It is a welcome move for those who think about
alternative modes of cargo handling. Focusing more on transporting
cargo through the coast would yield results. Ferrying travelers using
coastal ships will not elicit much response as travel between even
Kollam and Kochi will take 10 hours."
"Logistics costs can be reduced by
focusing on coastal and inland waters
for exports and domestic movement.
The government’s resolve to divert at
least 20 per cent of the cargo
through coastal shipping by 2015 and
40 per cent by 2020 also promises a
lot," he added.
According to the state’s Minister for Ports, Mr K. Babu, coastal traffic
potential through Kerala’s non-major ports, estimated at 4.64 million
tonnes during 2012-14, was likely to rise to 7 million tonnes by 2019-
20. "This target is proposed to be achieved using a three-pronged
strategy: modern infrastructure, incentives and institution building," he
noted.
However, the coastal shipping project faces several hiccups such as lack
of support from the Centre and different taxation rates in states. In
order to overcome such impediments in all coastal states, the Union
government plans to hold discussions with state governments and
work out an appropriate level of taxation to promote coastal shipping,
sources said.
Though Kerala was the first state to introduce financial incentives for
water transport, by giving a subsidy of one rupee per tonne for cargo
movement through coastal shipping, it is seen as being too meagre.
Only a favorable intervention from the Central government, with more
subsidies, could attract more entrepreneurs to transportation of cargo
by coastal shipping, the sources added.
OOCL have once again
attained certification on
the integrity and
disclosure of 2012
environmental data by
adopting Clean Shipping
Index (CSI) verification
standards, as part of
our effort to meeting
the needs of the shipping community’s green objectives.
OOCL was accredited the Verification Certification after an audit
conducted by DNV GL, a world leading classification society, by using
an internationally recognized and accepted verification guideline to
check OOCL vessels on a wide variety of scoring parameters,
including emissions of carbon dioxide, sulphur oxides, nitrogen
oxides and particulate matter, wastes handling, chemicals usage, and
wastewater control.
“By demonstrating that the environmental performance data are
prepared with high accuracy and transparency, OOCL is making an
effort to go beyond the mandatory regulations to reduce their impact
on the environment. Since DNV GL Group is also committed to
work towards sustainable shipping, we are pleased to play a part in
this work with OOCL,” said Mr. Henning Mohn, Head of Green
Shipping Advisory of DNV GL Maritime Advisory S.E. Asia-Pacific.
In many of today’s environmentally conscious supply chains, custom-
ers are also paying more attention to sustainability and their effects
on the environment. On receiving the certification, Mr. Stephen Ng,
Director of Trades of OOCL said, “This is the second consecutive
year that OOCL obtained certification of this kind, reflecting our
continued commitment to a high standard of data integrity and
information management. We believe this verification reinforces and
improves our sustainability profile as well as effectively helping our
customers and business partners across the supply chain to meet
their environmental objectives and sustainable business models.”
Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) Limited is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Hong Kong Stock Exchange listed Orient Overseas
(International) Ltd. Headquartered in Hong Kong, OOCL is one of
the world's largest integrated international container transportation
and logistics companies, with more than 290 offices in 60 countries.
OOCL vessels meet Clean Shipping Index Verification Standards
Transworld Group takes delivery & names latest newbuilding bulk carrier in China
Page 4
On November 14, 2013, at a glittering
ceremony, the Transworld Group proudly took
delivery of its newbuilding Handysize bulk
carrier, m. v. TBC PRINCESS, the second of the
series contracted and built at the Guangzhou
Wenchong Shipyard (GWS) in China.
The momentous naming and delivery was held
alongside the vessel at the GWS yard,
Guangzhou, China. Mr S. Ramakrishnan, Chair-
man of the Transworld Group, was accompanied
by his family members and senior executives.
The grand event began with a traditional Indian
puja and coconut breaking ceremony performed
on the vessel’s navigating bridge, wishing the
vessel and all those who sail on her, safe
voyages, calm seas and following winds for years
to come.
Ms Geeta Ramakrishnan, the Godmother of the
vessel, then named her m. v. TBC PRINCESS
with the reading of the encomium blessed with
prayers and unveiling of the name on bows
accompanied with smashing of champagne bottle
amidst cheer.
The delivery ceremony was followed by the
document signing by Mr Ramakrishnan and
Mr. Chen Zhongquin, Chairman of GWS yard,
and Mr Rong Yao of China Shipbuilding and
Trading Company (CSTC).
Special invitees from the guests, notably
representatives from GWS, CSTC, charterers
Ultrabulk SA, shipbrokers ACM Shipping and
Howe Robinson, Class DNV, Royal Bank of
Scotland and the owner’s site team were
felicitated during the ceremony.
m. v. TBC PRINCESS is the second of the series
of SDARI 32,000 design modern and economical
Handysize, geared newbuilds ordered by the
Transworld Group at GWS. The first of the
series, m. v. TBC PROGRESS was delivered
last October and the third sister is expected
to be delivered early next year.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Chen
Zhongquin highlighted the excellent relation-
ship and close cooperation developed
between the Transworld Group and the
shipyard. He stressed that GWS believed in
achieving reputation through quality
standards and creating value for customers,
as also the use of technology through pure
sensitive research, precision design, lean
shipbuilding organization and continuous
design improvement. He thanked the
Transworld Group for its excellent and con-
tinued support to the yard’s endeavors.
Welcoming all the distinguished guests to the
well-attended event, Mr Ramakrishnan com-
plimented the GWS yard for the timely deliv-
ery of the vessel. He also acknowledged the
long-term relationships and contributions of
all the business partners associated with the
Transworld Group and in its continued
progress. Efforts and sincere dedicated work
put in by every Transworldite was also richly
acclaimed and the guidance and blessings of
his parents was commended.
Formal traditions such as ribbon cutting, lion
dance and fireworks followed with photo
sessions. A tour of the vessel for guests was
next. A banquet was then held in honor of all
guests.
The function ended with prayers for safe
voyages and prosperity to all.
Delivered on long-term time charter
On departure from Guangzhou, the vessel
was delivered on long-term time charter to
Ultrabulk SA. She proceeded to Hong Kong
for bunkers before embarking on her maiden
voyage to Samarinda, Indonesia, for a load of
bulk coal for Disport Bataan, Philippines.
This series of newbuild ships marks the
Group’s entry into the dry bulk sector with
ambitious plans of further expansion in the
Handy to Supramax sector during the
coming years.
Transworld Bulk Carriers (TBC), the dry
bulk shipping arm of the Transworld
Group, was launched in 2012 to provide
reliable and high-quality, comprehensive dry
bulk shipping services to customers
worldwide.
TBC’s heritage has been successfully built
on the time-tested values of the Group,
namely, Trust and Openness, Mutual
Respect, Quality, Excellence, and Customer
Orientation.
TBC is keen to build strategic and
long-term rewarding relationships with
customers desirous of availing dry bulk
shipping transportation solutions by
providing first class quality service with the
highest standards of reliable sea
transportation and customized solutions.
To this end, TBC seeks to build on existing
long-term relationships with strategic
partners and extensive presence in the
Arabian Gulf, Indian Subcontinent and
South-East Asia region, as also to attract
new customers with growing requirements
in dry bulk shipping, emphasized a release.
T h e T r a n s w o r l d G r o u p
(www.transworld.co) was established in
1976 by its founder Mr R. Sivaswamy. With
a humble beginning as a shipping agency
based in Mumbai, it has today evolved into
a leading provider of integrated container
logistics services across the supply chain
and is known for its quality service in the
Indian Subcontinent, South-East Asia and
the Arabian Gulf. The activities of the
Group include ship owning, feedering,
NVOCC, project logistics, CFS operations,
warehousing, ship management, supply
chain management, agency and retail.
ONE MISTAKE AND EVERYONE JUDGES YOU.
Port of Antwerp sets global course
Page 5
Sagar port, expansion projects seen benefiting KoPT
THE proposed deep-sea port to be developed at Sagar Island is
expected to reduce Kolkata Port Trust’s (KoPT) dependence on
the dredging subsidy it receives from the Union government to
maintain draught.
According to the Union Minister for Shipping, Mr G. K. Vasan, the
increasing economic activities and development of Sagar port
would aid KoPT in reducing its dependence on the subsidy it
receives for dredging.
"We are very particular that the ports should not suffer. But, the
need for (dredging) should come down in future with the
(expansion) projects KoPT has undertaken. The Port Trust
authorities have taken up investment outlay worth nearly Rs
12,000 crore through PPP route," the Minister said after
inaugurating bulk cargo handling through national waterways in
Kolkata.
The Ministry is likely to
continue the subsidy until
the expansion projects take
off.
The Shipping Secretary,
Dr. Vishwapati Trivedi,
highlighted the importance
of KoPT in servicing the north-eastern hinterland and said that the
government has not thought of any alternative to it.
According to sources in KoPT, the Port Trust would earn an estimated
Rs 4.5 crore from the movement of imported coal through National
Waterway-1 for NTPC.
Focus is
on busi-
n e s s
MoUs &
cultural
e v e n t s
like the
‘Masterpieces from Antwerp’ art exhibition that begins in
Mumbai on Wednesday.
The Port of Antwerp has always been a place where people from
all over the world meet in search of opportunities for
collaboration. From early times it has been a major international
port, a status which it has maintained to this day as it actively seeks
to develop through a wide network of friendship and collaboration
agreements.
Throughout its history, the port has always been open to the rest
of the world. Its pursuit of economic, commercial and social
collaboration in a worldwide context contributes to its
international position.
Worldwide commercial collaboration
On the commercial side, there are Memoranda of Understanding
(MoUs). The ports of Antwerp and Montreal signed an MoU in
2013 to exchange knowhow and further develop trade relations.
"The agreement that we signed with the Port of Antwerp covers
more than just exchange of best practices in port operations,
environment management and relations with neighboring
communities," explains Ms Sylvie Vachon, CEO of Montreal Port
Authority. "With this agreement, we are able to explore the
possibilities for a joint commercial approach, exploit the
advantages of both ports to open up new markets, and design
business models that offer our respective customers the best
shipping links between Europe and North America."
In the meantime, the MoU with the Japanese port of Nagoya has been
renewed. There are also collaboration agreements with, among others,
the ports of Sao Paulo in Brazil, San Pedro in Côte d’Ivoire and Mumbai
Port Trust in India.
Chinese-Antwerp Circle of Friends
In order to boost its competitive position in the world market and
consolidate its international trade, the port pursues various activities
outside Europe. The development of activities in the Far East is
facilitated by the Chinese-Antwerp Circle of Friends. This takes the
form of a business platform for shippers, forwarders and 3PL operators
with, among other things, a directory of services and contacts in the
Port of Antwerp. "The Circle of Friends has proved to be a solid
platform for doing business between the Port of Antwerp and China.
Thanks to this platform, business partners are kept informed of what,
where and when the Port of Antwerp is organizing in China, and are
also able to make new contacts with people who already do business
between Antwerp and China," explains Mr He Desi, acting General
Manager of Guangzhou Port Authority.
Cultural friendship
International collaboration is not limited to economic or commercial
interests. The port also develops relations of cultural friendship to
expand its international network. An exhibition was recently held in
Shanghai featuring some of the Chinese junks held in Antwerp’s MAS
Museum.
Another exhibition entitled "Masterpieces from Antwerp" is being held
in Mumbai this week, featuring paintings and prints by, among others,
Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens. The Port of Antwerp has long had
close relations with India, where it enjoys an excellent reputation. "It is
a very dynamic, customer-oriented port which also cares for the
environment," says Mr J. Krishnan, Chairman of Madras Chamber of
Commerce and Industry.
Dedicated Freight Corridor gets back on track
Page 6
After a six-month delay, the western dedicated freight corridor is
back on track with Japanese infrastructure giants Sojitz and Mitsui
placing their price bids for the 322-km Iqbalgarh-Vadodara route,
reports Rajat Arora in New Delhi.
Due to lack of interest by Japanese firms, the bidding for the R3,500-
crore route was pushed back several times by the Indian Railways.
Three Japanese firms Sojitz, Mitsui and Marubeni were qualified for
participation in the bidding but didn't initially come forward to put in
bids. Indian Railways was apprehensive that a no-bid or one-bid
scenario would defer the implementation of the project, funded by
Japan, by one and a half years.
“A delegation of Indian Railways led by the Chairman, Railway Board,
had gone to Japan to persuade the Japanese Government to ask the
companies to participate in the tender of the civil contract or relax
Tokyo's loan condition which says the lead partner has to be from
Japan,” a Railway Board official said.
As per the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) loan
contract, the funding agency of the 1,483-km freight corridor, the lead
partner for the project has to be from Japan and 30% of materials
should be sourced from Japanese companies.
“The project is very much on
track and we intend to award
by the contract by the end of
this financial year, "Dedicated
Freight Corridor Corporation
(DFCC) Managing Director
RK Gupta.
Marubeni which had also
qualified , however stayed
away from the bidding as the
company wasn’t very com-
fortable with its Indian partner, Tata Projects.
The western corridor, a part of India’s ambitious DFC project,
connects Dadri near New Delhi to Mumbai, and passes through
Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
A few months ago, Sojitz, which bid along with Larsen & Toubro, was
selected for the contract to build the 640-km Rewari-Palanpur
stretch on the western segment. JICA has committed 677 billion yen
as a low-cost loan to be repaid over 40 years for the western
corridor.
Port of Amsterdam partnership benefits towards a green metropolitan region
The City of Amsterdam Waste and Energy Company (AEB), the
Waternet water company and Port of Amsterdam have decided to
enter into a structural partnership. Their common objective is to
ensure that more projects in the field of sustainable raw materials,
energy and water are realized in the Amsterdam port area. The
partnership represents a major step forward towards a circular econ-
omy. The three parties will launch six sustainable and innovative pro-
jects, each of which is expected to generate results within five years.
A green metropolitan region will benefit the climate and work as an
engine for the regional economy, attracting sustainable organizations
to the region and boosting employment.
Six sustainable, innovative projects
The three parties will launch six projects that involve active
cooperation with other organizations, such as companies and
knowledge institutions. The projects provide added value for all
parties and will be feasible within five years.
Project objectives include:
• Increase the production of green gas through the use of a new
technology that allows more energy to be recovered from residual
sludge and close cooperation with the port’s business community.
• Plastic production from sustainable raw materials instead of oil.
• Supply of steam to port-based companies.
• Smarter and more sustainable processing of liquid waste.
• Installation of wind turbines as soon as the go-ahead is given by the
province of North Holland based on the SER Energy Agreement
(Energieakkoord).
•Create fertile breeding ground for testing sustainable and innovative
concepts and products by Port of Amsterdam, AEB and Waternet and
other port-based companies.
Smarter entrepreneurship and structural cooperation
AEB is transitioning from waste disposal company to supplier of
sustainable energy and raw materials.
Water cycle company Waternet develops sustainable projects aimed at
producing energy and extracting raw materials from water, and Port of
Amsterdam is well on the way to become a leading port in green
energy and raw materials.
“In the past few years, we have worked together on an incidental
basis. One of our joint projects was the creation of a green gas station.
In order to achieve even more sustainable results and evolve into a
more structured form of cooperation, we have signed a cooperation
agreement,” say the three CEOs, Jeroen de Swart (AEB), Roelof Kruize
(Waternet) and Dertje Meijer (Port of Amsterdam).
Page 7
Wooing Indian companies, Belgian
Deputy Prime Minister Didier
Reynders said his country is an
attractive investment destination and
offers a big logistics network which
will be key to investors.
Reynders, who is heading a delegation to India, also held discussions with
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma.
“I met with Mr Sharma today. And it was quite interesting.
We (the delegation) are trying to attract global investments to Belgium.
We are just in the middle of the very important part of the Europe,” the
visiting Minister said at an industry event here.
Reynders is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and
European Affairs.
He said Belgium provides tax incentive to the companies willing to start
their ventures in the country.
The country offers tax exemptions, beneficial tax regime for research and
development (R&D) and pension funds.
“The sum of all these tax incentives leads to one of the lowest
effective corporate tax rates in the European Union,” according
to an official brochure of the Belgium Government.
Also, companies investing in R&D are allowed to benefit from a
considerable deduction or a tax credit provided investments are
used for professional activities.
Reynders said that Belgium has a very huge logistic network which
will be key to investors.
Belgium has nearly 800 European Distribution Centers (EDCS)
and has the highest EDC density in Europe. It also has strong
road, rail road and inland water networks.
The seaports Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Ghent and Ostend have no
congestion and it is strategically connected with France, Germany
and The Netherlands.
The Minister also said: “Belgium has a reputation as a gateway to
Europe since middle age. Its a multi-national, multi-lingual and
multi-cultural country.”
Belgian Deputy PM Didier Reynders invites Indian investment
THE World Container Index’s (WCI) Shanghai-Rotterdam freight rate
assessment increased recently by $1,403 to $2,498 per FEU, more than
doubling spot prices after three months of decline, according to Drewry
analysts.
However, year-to-date average rates for the Asia-Europe trade are still
below the 2012 average.
The weekly WCI, which captures freight rates with a contract validity of
up to one month, confirmed recently that the price increases of $750-
$1,000 per TEU by carriers from November have been largely accepted
by the market.
"The recovery in pricing comes at a critical time for carriers, midway
through fourth quarter talks for 2014 contract rates," said WCI Director,
Mr Richard Heath, who added that liners would use that leverage in
current contract talks.
The recent surge in rates follows a
period of decline in which the index’s
Shanghai-Rotterdam rate assessment
had fallen more than 55 per cent since
it peaked in early August.
"Sustainability of rate levels depends
on steps carriers take to limit capacity.
With many more ultra large container
vessels due, a reliance on skipped sailings will not prevent rate
erosion," said Drewry’s benchmarking research chief, Mr Martin
Dixon.
Drewry stressed that week-to-week increases in rates are less
significant than how long the increases hold. It urged shippers to
consider index-linking to avoid contract default at a time of rate
volatility, according to reports.
Spot prices on Asia-Europe trade up
Stating this at the 15th Meeting of the Mari-
time State Development Council at Ben-
galuru, the Union Minister of Shipping Shri
G.K. Vasan said that the Ministry will soon
issue guidelines to streamline the process of
collection of Oil Cess which can be then
used to assist ports to equip themselves for
pollution mitigation. He said, steps are also being taken to delegate
powers to State Authorities for registration, survey and certification of
fishing vessels. He said, the notification to delegate powers to State Mari-
time Boards to receive wrecks have been prepared and it will be
issued soon.
Shri Vasan said that a recent important development is that the
River sea vessels Rules have been amended to allow seamless
movement of coastal vessels and powers have been delegated to
the State Governments. The Director General of Lighthouses and
Lightships has formulated a scheme to install VTMS in state-
owned Non-Major Ports which handle substantial cargo. These
two developments, he said are expected to boost Coastal trade
and Coastal Shipping in the country.
Vasan recognizes importance of dredging projects
Page 8
Humor
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20, Raja Bahadur Mansion,
Ambalal Doshi Marg., Fort,
Mumbai - 400 023.
Tel. : +9122 6637 0021.
Fax : (91-22) 6637 0022
Email : [email protected]
Editorial Team:
Mr. Xerxes P. Master
Mr. Vivek Kele
Following the enactment of the Multimodal Transportation of Goods Act, 1993, AMTOI
Association of Multimodal Operators of India) was established in the year 1998.
The main objects of the Association are to
• To organize Multimodal Transport Operators at national level
• To study the issues faced by MTOs and seek resolution with appropriate authorities
• To promote multimodal transport services in foreign trade
• To improve the quality of such services and reduce transaction costs
AMTOI is registered as a non-profit making body under the Indian Companies Act and its core
managing committee consists of seven members. The committee is assisted by a Board of
Advisors consisting of the representatives of Government and public sector organizations.
We at AMTOI have always endeavored to have a harmonious maritime community to bring
consensus amongst all segments of our community, whilst making representations to various
authorities. AMTOI has always tried to bring together all the segments of the maritime
community under one common platform to promote Multimodalism in India. Our members are
shipping lines, shipping agents, freight forwarders, transporters, CFS operators and custom house
agents.
ASSOCIATION OF ASSOCIATION OF ASSOCIATION OF ASSOCIATION OF MULTIMODAL MULTIMODAL MULTIMODAL MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT TRANSPORT TRANSPORT TRANSPORT
OPERATORS OF INDIAOPERATORS OF INDIAOPERATORS OF INDIAOPERATORS OF INDIA
Catalysing Multimodalism
www.amtoi.org