November 27, 2009: The State Government intends to move ahead with the tender proceedings again for the Vizhinjam international container transhipment

November 24, 2009: The strike in the Visakhapatnam port by the workers of the cargo handling division is continuing and the talks held on November 23 in the presence of the Assistant Labour Commissioner could make no progress, according to union sources.

October 17, 2009: Paradip Port Trust has received 10 responses to request for qualification for the multipurpose berth to be constructed on a BOT basis through public-private partnership.

October 17, 2009: Discordant notes have been struck about the long-pending Vizhinjam project

October 4, 2009: 30-35 ships waiting to enter the complex, dredging firm says it can't do much. The functioning of the already-limping Haldia Dock Complex, West Bengal's only port capable of handling large vessels, is likely to remain handicapped for another three weeks due to unavailability of dredgers.
 

October 3, 2009: The Cochin Port Trust is exploring ways for the optimum usage of the three container terminal berths that will become vacant shortly, following the commissioning of the International Container Transhipment Terminal at Vallarpadam.

September 17, 2009: There is huge congestion at the two eastern India ports of Paradip and Vizag since middle of June after a brief strike at the Haldia port.

by Sarbani Haldar

September 17, 2009: July has been a mixed month for the dry bulk shipping sector as freight rates for the movement of dry cargo saw minor fluctuations throughout the month on varying sentiments and fixing activities.

by Nudrat Alim

September 17, 2009: Industrial development can take place in totality when supported by a strong logistics platform. However, speaking specifically of coal, industry sources have revealed that the shortage of railway rakes have resulted in unwarranted delays as far as delivery is concerned.

September 17, 2009: Indicating continued revival in the economy, Indian Railways, the world's second largest railway network in the world, carried more cargo and earned more revenue during the first four months of current financial year compared with what it had earned in the corresponding period of the previous year.

September 16, 2009: By October, the Railways hopes to complete acquisition of land for constructing about 60 km out of the total 95 km of railway line between the present Dallia-Rajhara iron ore mines and the proposed Raoghat iron mines to be developed in Chhattisgarh to meet the increased iron ore requirement of SAIL's Bhilai Steel Plant.

September 5, 2009: Hind Terminal, a private container train operator, will stop using the terminals of Container

September 5, 2009: New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) handled 15.23 million tons (mt) of cargo

August 21, 2009: One of the most effective dredgers employed at Jellingham and Auckland Bars is being taken away by the ministry of shipping for projects being undertaken at Kochi and New Mangalore.

August 21, 2009: KoPT can have a new chairman in seven to 10 days, Rakesh Srivastava, joint secretary shipping indicated here.

August 20, 2009: CMA CGM, the world's third largest container shipping line, has decided to restore freight rates between India/Pakistan and Europe to a substantial level, according to company sources. The new rates, to come into force from September 1, will apply to west- and east-bound cargo between India/Pakistan and Europe/Mediterranean.

Source: Business Line

August 18, 2009: Two berths of the upcoming Dhamra port project in Orissa which are being taken up in the fist phase

August 18, 2009: The Supreme Court on August 17 set aside the Orissa High Court's interim order

August 18, 2009: TransCare Logistics India Private Ltd, part of the TransCare group of companies based in Germany

August 16, 2009: Visakhapatnam port handled 24.4 million tons (mt) of cargo during the current financial year

August 16, 2009: The South Western Railway (SWR) zone has made good progress in freight loading in six years of its operation

August 16, 2009: The shipping ministry is considering bringing the 200 non-major ports in the country under the purview of the Major Ports Regulatory Authority Act, 2009, (MPRAA).

August 15, 2009: Between April and July this year, Eastern Railway (ER) posted 12.71 percent rise in freight loading

August 15, 2009: Tata Steel expects the Dhamra port in Orissa to be operational by next April

August 13, 2009: The railway ministry has failed to meet its target of 6 percent growth in freight traffic in the first quarter of the current financial year (2009-10), data released by the ministry reveal.

August 13, 2009: The railway ministry is going to start negotiations with state governments this month for identifying locations for setting up of multi-modal logistics parks (MMLPs) along the Diamond Rail Corridors (dedicated freight corridors), an official at the railway ministry revealed.

August 13, 2009: The 11-day strike by the registered cargo handling workers at New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) came to an end in the early hours of August 12, 2009 after prolonged meetings by the Assistant Labour Commissioner (ALC) with the port management and labour union leaders.

August 13, 2009: As part of its long-term strategy, Tata NYK Shipping Pte Ltd, the Singapore-based joint venture (50:50) between Tata Steel and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line), a Japanese shipping major, proposes to enter into long-term charter for capesize vessels, according to the Tata Steel annual report.

August 12, 2009: The Indian Railways posted revenues of Rs 27,545.41 crore in the first four months of the 2009-10 fiscal, an increase of 5.8 percent over the corresponding period last year.

August 12, 2009: Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), has pegged cargo traffic growth at major ports in the country at 5.2 percent for 2009-10.

August 11, 2009: Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) has registered a 70.21 percent increase in net profit at Rs 160 crore for the year 2008-09 as against Rs 94 crore in the previous year.

August 11, 2009: Hindusthan Shipyard Ltd (HSL) delivered a 30,000-DWT bulker m.v. Good Pilgrim to the Chennai-based Good Earth Maritime at a function aboard the vessel on Monday, as per information from the company.

August 11, 2009: A consortium led by Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone Ltd, the largest private port in the country, has won the bid for development of coal handling terminal at port of Mormugao, Goa on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer basis, the company said here today.

August 10, 2009: In search of deeper draft locations to expand port operations, the Kolkata Port Trust(KoPT) has invited expressions of interest(EoI) for port facilities at Sagar island, around 47 kilometers from Haldia located at the confluence of the river Hooghly.

August 10, 2009: The June quarter results of shipping companies acutely reflect the difficult terrains they traversed during the period. The significant fall in freight rates across all the segments of shipping impacted their performance and financial results for the period under review. The huge order inflow of new ships (still 30-45% of the existing fleet is on order for the next 12-18 months) and global slowdown took a toll on charter rates.

August 05, 2009: City-based Sical Logistics has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with shipping and logistics company Mitsui OSK Lines to set up a joint venture for an automotive management yard at Ennore port.

August 04, 2009: The expansion of Gopalpur port in south Orissa's Ganjam district has hit the green hurdle with environmental activists and wildlife experts fearing that the port's expansion may spell doom for the famed Olive Ridley turtles.

August 4, 2009: Night movement of iron ore rakes on the 450-km Kirandul-Kottavalasa (K-K) line is to resume tonight after having remained suspended for about a week. The suspension was due to the week-long celebration by the Maoists, according to East Coast Railway (ECoR) sources.

July 25, 2009: The ministry of shipping will remain unaffected by the ministry of environment and forests' call to halt the construction of new ports in India.

July 24, 2009: Texmaco United Group Rail (P) Ltd (TUGRL) - the joint venture (JV) between engineering firm Texmaco and United Group of Australia - is forming a JV with Japanese consortium comprising Kawasaki, Itochu and Toshiba for manufacture of metro coaches.

July 20, 2009: The engagement of a consultant to conduct a study on the impact of shipping lines on freight rates in the country by the Ministry of Shipping has taken many in the exim trade industry by surprise.

July 20, 2009: If one go by the demands placed before the government by the shipping industry, which is trying to stay afloat in the financial downturn plaguing sea trade across the world, the year's budget could be said to have turned a deaf ear towards Indian shipowners and shipping industry.

July 20, 2009: Drewry Shipping Consultants' latest Container Forecaster has identified a number of weaknesses in the ocean liner industry that banish hopes of a recovery any time soon.

July 18, 2009: Government said that more than 4500 coaches are needed by the Railways annually to ensure smooth passenger services but the supply is much below demand.

July 12, 2009: Samsara Group, engaged in shipping and logistics services, has identified Kolkata as the eastern region hub for, among other things, launching feeder services, participating in port development projects, and launching rail services and a container freight station.

July 5, 2009: The railway minister may have announced new dedicated freight corridors

July 4, 2009: Not everyone in the wagon industry is ecstatic over the Railway Minister's proposal for procurement of a larger number of wagons in 2009-10.

July 4, 2009: Indian Railways will shortly identify the joint venture partner for its proposed 1,000 MW thermal power

July 4, 2009: Mamata Banerjee did not tinker with freight rates, but brought down the projected earnings from "unrealistically high targets set in the interim budget".

July 3, 2009: Paradip Port Trust (PPT) has signed a concession agreement for construction of a Rs 506.3-crore iron ore terminal on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis with Blue Water Iron Ore Terminal Pvt Ltd (BWIOTPL).

July 2, 2009: Chronic congestion at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNP) in Maharashtra, which accounts for nearly 60 percent of India's container traffic, is pushing the Indian maritime industry - already hit hard by the global trade slowdown - into a tighter corner.

July 1, 2009: Over a week after a wave of rumours and speculation lashed the prospects of the Rs 5,340-crore Vizhinjam container transshipment terminal, Mumbai-based Zoom Developers is still awaiting results of the re-evaluation of the company's bid by a committee set up by the state.

June 29, 2009: Over dimensional cargo (ODC) and project cargo mover, Mumbai-based MFC seems to be taking advantage of the booming project cargo market in the country.

June 29, 2009: Indian efforts to approve and ratify the latest International Maritime Organisation (IMO) convention on ship recycling - which, according to the agreement, should start in earnest from August - is not going to be a smooth affair.

June 28, 2009: The Shipping Ministry will have a 'fresh look' at the private-public-partnership (PPP) projects that are to be implemented at various ports, according to shipping minister G.K. Vasan.

June 28, 2009: The Indian Railways plan to have another thermal power plant even as their Nabinagar project, to come up in a joint venture with country's largest power producer NTPC Ltd, has remained a non-starter.

June 27, 2009: Videocon group chairman and managing director Venugopal Dhoot has decided to remain a strategic investor in Great Offshore, the drilling company for which Bharati Shipyard and ABG Shipyard have made competitive bid offers.

June 26, 2009: The battle for Great Offshore is likely become more intense now as Videocon chairman Venugopal Dhoot has dropped hints that he could join the race for the integrated oilfield services provider.

June 26, 2009: Kerala's infrastructure sector may face a major setback as its dream project of the Vizhinjam container terminal seemed to teeter on the brink, with unconfirmed reports that the winner in the original bid, Lanco Kondapalli Power, had opted to withdraw from the project.

June 22, 2009: An absence of laid out rules or a framework for warehousing segment development - considered to be the first and foremost building block of the logistics value chain - has led to mushrooming of illegal warehousing on the outskirts of most cities.

June 21, 2009: ABG Shipyard reported a 12.83 percent rise in net profit at Rs 51.96 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2009, against Rs 46.05 crore in the corresponding period last year.

June 20, 2009: The Union Government has sanctioned Rs 32crore for the construction of a dedicated terminal at the Kochi port for Lakshadweep-bound passenger and cargo ships.

June 17, 2009: The huge quantity of scrap generated by Indian Railways is now making its way to manufacturing units for production of wheels, thanks to the innovation brought about in this field.

June 17, 2009: Just before the railway budget presentation by Mamata Banerjee, the Siliguri Merchants Association has come out with a charter of demands.

By Sarbani Haldar

June 16, 2009: Freight rates for the movement of dry cargo improved significantly in May, thanks to the improved demand for iron ore and a mad frenzy of leading iron ore companies to fix vessels. Major congestion at the Chinese ports also contributed to the significant increase in the rates at the fag end of the month which also saw the Baltic Dry Index make a strong recovery.

June 16, 2009: The ever-increasing freight traffic along the Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai routes, comprising the Golden Quadrilateral, has created the need for alternatives.

By Sarbani Haldar

June 16, 2009: The upcoming Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL) will handle approximately 5 million tons per annum of cargo from Tata Steel as soon as it is commissioned in April 2010, company sources told Steel Insights. This comes at a time when other leading ports of the country are striving hard to meet their cargo handling targets.

By Neha Prasad

June 16, 2009: The recession, which threatened to drown the international shipping industry, did not hit the domestic sector as badly. However, the global arm of the Indian shipping industry was inevitably hit as a result of developments across the world. Now, there is a strong need to plug the leaks in this segment and Indian shippers are expecting a helping hand from the new government.

June 14, 2009: The strike by a section of cargo-handling workers and marine staff has hit normal operations at the Mormugao port.

June 13, 2009: The race for selection of a developer for the proposed greenfield port at Barunei Muhan in Kendarapara district of Orissa has hotted up with the Chennai-based Sical Logistics joining other contenders, Arcelor-Mittal, Adhunik Metaliks and SPI Ports Ltd to bid for the project.

June 13, 2009: The Railways plan to buy wagon-making units of ailing Burn Standard seems to be swiftly gaining momentum. Lately, the Railway Board officials have been dropping into town regularly to take stock of the company's operations.

June 11, 2009: Mercator Lines - India's second-largest private shipping company - is expanding its capacity.

June 3, 2009: Bharati Shipyard, India's second-largest private shipbuilder, has fixed the open offer price to buy an additional 20 percent stake in Great Offshore at Rs 344 a share.

June 3, 2009: The Finance Ministry has asked Indian Railways to explain the delay in implementing 145 projects that resulted in a cost overrun of over Rs 43,000 crore.

June 2, 2009: Analysts, as well as a couple of competitors, see scope for a hostile takeover bid for Great Offshore, as the company is asset-rich and the offshore segment is doing quite well now.

June 1, 2009: The board of Bharati Shipyard has decided to make an open offer for Great Offshore, following the resignation of vice-chairman and managing director Vijay Sheth on May 29.

May 30, 2009: Recessionary winds blowing across the globe have directed overseas shipping and logistic companies to sail on the Indian shores sensing a business opportunity in midst of a slowdown.

May 26, 2009: The re-elected UPA government appears keen to speed up construction of highways and rail freight corridors in its current term as a way to boost the slowing economy.

May 26, 2009: Indian Railways posted a robust 2.38 percent growth in revenue earnings during the first 10 days of this month by generating over Rs 2,200 crore, according to official sources.

May 20, 2009: The Baltic Dry Index - global benchmark for freight rates of dry bulk carriers - reached a seven-month high of 2,605 on May 18.

May 20, 2009: Amritsar-based Shore to Shore Logistics India Ltd, a group company of Khanna Paper Mills Ltd, is planning to set up a Rs 100-crore warehouse-cum-logistics park and an inland container depot in Punjab.

May 18, 2009: The not-so-bright prospects of iron ore exports through Paradip and Visakhapatnam ports might force East Coast Railway (ECoR) to depend more on coal traffic.

May 18, 2009: The promoters of Essar Shipping Ports & Logistics (ESPL) are considering a proposal to buy out minority shareholders and delist the company, according to a person familiar with the development.

May 16, 2009: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has already restructured 29 highway development projects by changing the scope of the project and reduced the cost for most by a range of 5-30 per cent.

May 16, 2009: The West Bengal Government is in favour of first setting up a port smaller than the proposed deep-sea port at the mouth of the Hoogly river before a major petrochemical facility comes up at Nayachar, the site for the proposed petrochemical, chemical and petrochemical region (PCPIR), according to the State industry Secretary, Mr Sabyasachi Sen.

May 15, 2009: Total revenue of the New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) crossed Rs 300 crore during 2008-09.

May 15, 2009: The Meka Dredging-Amma Lines joint venture has bagged the dredging contract for 2009-2012 at Cochin Shipyard.

May 11, 2009: India's diverse engineering industry has been affected by the economic downturn in different ways, depending on the user segment it caters to.

May 11, 2009: A slew of international logistic and shipping service providers have shown interest in acquiring up to 25 percent equity stake together in Dharamtar Port, a dry bulk port in Maharashtra.

May 9, 2009: The downturn in the shipping cycle has not bottomed out yet, or so feels Great Eastern Shipping, which expects its revenues to reduce further in the current financial year.

May 7, 2009: Gangavaram port has set a target of handling 15 million ton (mt) cargo during this fiscal.

May 6, 2009: Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) recorded a new monthly high by handling 30,800 TEUs of container traffic during April 2009.

May 4, 2009: Leading private sector shipping company of India, The Great Eastern Shipping Company Ltd (GE Shipping), has delivered its 2007 built "Jag Payal" to the buyers.

May 4, 2009: Port Pipavav has once again demonstrated operational excellence on Nedlloyd Tasman which is operating on Maersk Line's ME1 service.

May 4, 2009: The Paradip Port Trust (PPT) has issued a letter of acceptance (LoA) to the consortium led by the Hong Kong-based Noble Group for developing and operating the Rs 591-crore iron ore berth

May 4, 2008: Greatship India Limited (GIL), a wholly owned subsidiary of The Great Eastern Shipping Co. Ltd. has taken delivery of GREATSHIP ASMI

May 4, 2009: Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) has firmed up plans to invest up to Rs 2,600 crore

May 4: The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) has issued the letter of intent (LoI) to the consortium of ABG Infralogistics and ABG Kolkata Container Terminal Private Ltd

April 30, 2009: Uniworld Asia, a Bangalore-based privately held global logistics provider, has invested $10 million in an integrated logistics park at Sriperumbudur, near Chennai.

April 30, 2009: Reliance Natural Resources (RNRL), a part of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (R-ADAG), has decided to procure six ships by the next quarter to transport coal from international destinations to India for its proposed 4,000-MW ultra mega power project (UMPP) in Krishnapatnam.

April 30, 2009: At a time when domestic shipping companies are grappling with shrinking cargo volumes, the director general of shipping is looking to implement chartering guidelines.

April 28, 2009: Wilson Sandhu Logistics (India) Ltd (WSL) is an ISO 9000: 2001-certified international freight forwarding company, which was founded in 1990.

April 28, 2009: The Planning Commission's target of achieving a fleet strength of 12 million gross tonnage by 2011-12 in all probability will remain just an ambition if the past experience of the shipping industry is any indication.

April 27, 2009: Gujarat Pipavav Port Ltd and Container Corporation of India Ltd (Concor) have made a joint commitment for providing reliable and cost effective rail services to the shippers through the Port of Pipavav.

April 26, 2009: The global economic meltdown notwithstanding, Paradip Port Trust (PPT) handled an all- time record traffic of 46.41 million tons during 2008-09, registering a growth of 9.36 per cent over the previous fiscal.

April 25, 2009: Cargo loading at Southern Railway (SR) showed a 12.2 percent increase in 2008-09 to 33.70 million tons (mt), against 30.03 mt handled in the previous year.

April 25, 2009: A team of top officials from Société Nationale des Chemins de fer français (SNCF), France's top railway operator which also runs the TGV, are now in the country to undertake a comparative study of engineering and maintenance of rolling stock.

April 24, 2009: Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) has successfully expanded its non-major port capacity by 20 percent from last year to 235 million tons.

April 21, 2009: A record drop in freight rates for crude and refined oil carriers has put Indian shipping companies - such as state-run Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), Great Eastern Shipping, Mercator Lines and Varun Shipping - in troubled waters.

April 21, 2009: An increasing number of Indian project cargo importers - including power plant buyers from China - are learning the hard way the inefficiency of the logistics and supply chain management prevalent there.

April 21, 2009: India Value Fund (IVF) has acquired a majority stake in Innovative B2B Logistic Solutions (Inlogistics), a private container trains operator, for Rs 200 crore. The deal was concluded a few weeks ago.

April 19, 2009: The port sector, which globally faced a 20 percent reduction in terms of volumes in the fourth quarter of the fiscal 2008, is likely to face a worse situation in 2009, according to Kim Fejfer, Chief Executive Officer, APM Terminals Ltd.

April 17, 2009: The Madurai Railway division recorded a total earning of Rs 412 crore in 2008-09 against last year's earnings of Rs 329 crore, according to divisional railway manager Anil Singhal.

April 15, 2009: China is expected to breach the 20.2-million ton (mt) mark, set in 2008, for ship plate production this year.

April 15, 2009: Rail Wheel Factory (RWF) - a subsidiary of the Indian Railways engaged manufacturing axles, wheels and wheelsets - has registered a 71 percent growth in its turnover.

April 15, 2009: Adhunik Metaliks, part of the Adhunik group, plans to set up an all weather commercial port at Barunei Muhan in Kendarapara district of Orissa. It will be located near Jambu, 30 km north of Gahirmatha.

April 14, 2009: Gateway Terminals India (GTI), which is the youngest port terminal at Nhava Sheva has been awarded the "Container Terminal Of The Year" at the India International Maritime & Logistics Expo '09 (IIMLE).

April 13, 2009: The global economic downturn has cast a shadow on the performance of the New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) during 2008-09.

April 13, 2009: The unfailing regularity with which 'aggrieved' bidders of various port development projects queuing up before courts with litigations of various hues is likely to mar the government's ambitious plans to augment and modernise port infrastructure.

April 12, 2009: A move that could come in as a relief to Indian shipbuilders, The Indian government plans to extend the shipbuilding subsidy.

April 12, 2009: The Baltic Dry Index which had been in the decline run for some time recovered slightly on the last day of the concluding week.

April 10, 2009: The global economic downturn has cast a shadow on the performance of the New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) during 2008-09.

April 10, 2009: The Baltic Dry Index, the global benchmark for freight rates of dry bulk carriers, has lost 36 percent in the last one month to reach 1,463, reversing the rise it saw in the previous month, giving hope of a freight rate revival to the shipping companies.

April 9, 2009: Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) - the largest greenfield shipyard in the country - expects to deliver its orders of 17 offshore supply vessels and anchor handling tug supply vessels for international owners by 2011.

April 9, 2009: ArcelorMittal, the largest steel maker in the world, has evinced interest to set up a captive port at Barunei Muhan to the north of Mahanadi river near Paradip in Orissa.

April 8, 2009: The shipping industry has grappled with another difficult quarter in terms of operating environment.

April 7, 2009: The Great Eastern Shipping Co Ltd. (G E Shipping) has signed a contract to sell "Jag Reena". The 2000 built Handymax dry bulk carrier of 45,659 dwt would be delivered to the buyers in first quarter of financial Year 2010, as per company sources.

April 7, 2009: The Baltic Dry Index's declining mode seems to be persisting.

April 7, 2009: Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), which was number two in terms of traffic handled among all major ports for three consecutive years till March 2007 and was vying for the first position, has now slipped to the fifth position during 2008-09.

April 7, 2009: The cargo handled by Cochin Port Ltd registered a 3.34 percent fall to touch 15.23 million tons (mt) during 2008-09.

April 7, 2009: Shipbuilding companies are likely to claim a subsidy of over Rs 4,000 crore in the next four years from the government.

April 7, 2009: When OEL Victory - a vessel belonging to Shreyas Shipping & Logistics - loaded 350 TEUs from Colombo for Kolkata/Haldia, it heralded a unique alliance of three major Indian shipping companies for a service catering to the feeder requirements of both exim and domestic operators on the east coast.

April 7, 2009: At a time when domestic ports are grappling with shrinking cargo volumes, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) - the country's largest container port operator - is evaluating a plan to operate ports overseas, coupled with container terminals in other countries.

April 5, 2009: Mr Sarthak Behuria, Chairman of IndianOil, on Saturday inaugurated the Paradip-Haldia crude oil pipeline system at Paradip.

April 3, 2009: Indian Railways witnessed a growth of 5 percent in its freight loading to 834 million tons (mt) during 2008-09, thanks to strong demand in the economy in the first half of the fiscal.

April 2, 2009: The country's largest multi-product port at Mundra, developed by the Adani Group, handled around 2,200 vessels and approximately 38 million tons (mt) of cargo volumes across all segments during the financial year 2008-09.

April 2, 2009: Several shipyards will receive subsidies amounting to Rs 5,100 crore over the next few years.

April 2, 2009: The Indian National Shipowners' Association (INSA), a representative body of Indian shipowners including Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) and The Great Eastern Shipping Company, has demanded Rs 10,000 crore in soft loans from the government to acquire new assets at a time when ship prices are falling.

April 1, 2009: The commerce ministry has come out with guidelines for operating sea ports inside Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

March 31, 2009: The Central Railside Warehouse Company (CRWC), a subsidiary of the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), recently inaugurated its thirteenth rail-side warehouse at Korukkupet near Chennai.

March 31, 2009: Titagarh Wagons Ltd (TWL) has decided to merge Titagarh Steels Ltd (TSL) and CMS Crossings, required for manufacture of wagons, which is the mainstay of TWL's product portfolio.

March 30, 2009: The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), a government body engaged in waterways development, has invited corporates to help increase cargo movement in the country by ship.

March 30, 2009: Indira Container Terminal (ICT), which is developing Mumbai Port's offshore container terminal, is signing a cooperation agreement with Dharamtar Infrastructure on March 31.

March 30, 2009: A preliminary study examining whether ports on the western coast have adequate potential capacity to handle estimated maritime containers has identified Kandla Port as having 'large development potential among the government ports' for container cargo.

March 28, 2009: With a little more than a year to go before the scheduled commissioning of Dhamra port, the promoter, Dhamra Port Company Ltd (DPCL), a joint venture of Tata Steel and Larsen & Toubro, is mulling signing cargo agreements with prospective users of the port.

March 27, 2009: Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) has said it is actively considering its plans to enter into a joint venture with steel major SAIL. But, there is no timeline available by which the joint venture will be firmed up.

March 27, 2009: French Naval shipbuilder DCNS is looking for an Indian partner to set up a fabrication facility locally for manufacture of warships and submarines for the Indian Navy, in a bid to tap the burgeoning domestic defence market.

March 26, 2009: Chennai Container Terminal Ltd (CCTL) is planning to buy two quay cranes with an investment of around Rs 100 crore. CCTL is run by Dubai-based container terminal operator DP World at the Chennai Port.

March 26, 2009: Expansion and greenfield projects at domestic ports have almost ground to a halt as an economic slowdown has choked investment into the sector, which holds great potential as a growth driver.

March 26, 2009: Chennai Container Terminal (CCTL), the PSU operated by Dubai-based DP World on a 30-year contract, is planning expansion of operations through increasing its supply chain footprint in the country.

March 25, 2009: A court in Bangladesh ruled against the shipbreaking sector last week, shocking the industry in the subcontinent.

March 25, 2009: Paradip Port Trust (PPT) hopes to sign by end of May the concession agreements with bidders to be selected for the construction of two deep-draught berths - one for handling coal imports and the other for iron ore exports.

March 25, 2009: Apeejay Shipping Ltd, an Apeejay Surrendra Group company, has announced the acquisition of a 67,359 dead weight tonnage (DWT) gearless panamax of Japanese make for an undisclosed amount.

March 24, 2009: After being in the declining mode for the entire part of previous week the Baltic Dry Index has begun the present week on a similar note.

March 24, 2009: Visakhapatnam port has handled 62.36 million tons (mt) of cargo till date this fiscal, against 62.11 mt during the corresponding period last year.

March 23, 2009: Like the Baltic Dry Index, freight rates across destinations have seen a decline as compared to the rates prevailing in the previous month.

March 22, 2009: India's second largest private shipping company Mercator Lines, which is ramping up its non-shipping businesses to beat the slide in freight rates, expects to close the current financial year with 8 percent revenue coming from the dredging business.

March 22, 2009: The Baltic Dry Index which had begun the week on the low note declined heavily throughout the just concluded week to close at 1782 points on 20 March.

March 22, 2009: With the aim to further facilitate trade from North & North West India to the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Europe, Maersk Line will shortly add a Pipavav call on its ME3 service.

March 21, 2009: South Western Railway (SWR) zone has recorded a massive growth of 26.68 percent in the originating freight earnings till January-end during the current financial year, informed Kuldeep Chaturvedi, General Manager of SWR.

March 19, 2009: Krishnapatnam Port Company (KPCL) has achieved financial closure for the Rs 4,000-crore phase II development of the all-weather deep water Krishnapatnam port on the eastern coast in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh.

March 19, 2009: Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) is adding to its railway facilities to meet the additional requirement to be thrown up by the projected increase in rail-borne traffic by 2011-12 when the capacity expansion programme, currently in progress, is expected to be complete.

March 18, 2009: Kale Consultants said maritime logistics company J.M. Baxi & Co had chosen it for freight management solutions.

March 18, 2009: While India offers tremendous opportunity in the logistics sector, there is a need to move away from focusing just on ports to the entire logistics sector, according to Archomai chief executive officer Robert J. Bell.

March 18, 2009: Indian Railways' earnings rose 12.02 percent to Rs 71,766 crore during the first 11 months of 2008-09, according to a government statement.

March 18, 2009: The government is considering a Rs 10,000-crore package to help local shipping firms finance new vessel acquisitions as global lenders tighten their purse strings.

March 18, 2009: A delegation of 10 ports and logistics company from the UK was in Chennai on March 17, exploring options of investing in development of ports in India.

March 17, 2009: The Great Eastern Shipping Co Ltd. (GE Shipping) has delivered the 1997 built Handymax dry bulk carrier "Jag Riddhi" (47,240 dwt) to the buyers.

March 17, 2009: Like the Baltic Dry Index the freight rates for the movement of dry bulk across destinations are showing some variation as compared to some days ago.

March 17, 2009: The Hubli division of South Western Railway zone has registered an increase of 22.88 percent in its revenues till February, compared to revenues during the corresponding period last year.

March 17, 2009: Commissioning of the International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam near Kochi, the largest port infrastructure project in south India, may be delayed further.

March 17, 2009: After being in the declining mode for a greater part of the previous week, the Baltic Dry Index has begun the current week on a low note. The Index declined to 2058 points on 16 March from 2122 points on 13 March.

March 17, 2009: Visakhapatnam port has sought more than Rs 500 crore from the Defence Ministry as 'opportunity cost' to hand over 40 acres to Hindustan Shipyard (HSL).

March 17, 2009: Ocean freight rates from Indian ports to major European ports are set to rise by $300 to $500 per twenty equivalent unit (TEU) from April 1.

March 17, 2009: Mercator Lines plans to invest $110 million (approximately Rs 560 crore) for the purchase of two additional dredgers, according to a director of the firm.

March 17, 2009: Mercator Lines has acquired a rig from Singapore-based shipyard Keppels FELS for Rs 1,000 crore.

March 16, 2009: The global flat products market once again passed through a tough month this February, as prices of both cold rolled coil (CRC) and hot rolled coil (HRC) saw steep declines in price. According to indicative price index, price of HRC fell more sharply than CRC.

By Sarbani Haldar

March 16, 2009: Indian ship owners, struggling for funds for their acquisitions, have asked the government to set up a Central fund of Rs 10,000 crore to finance buying of ships.

By Sarbani Haldar

March 16, 2009: Freight rates for moving dry cargo on various routes registered sharp fluctuations during February as demand for iron ore shipment varied.

By Sarbani Haldar

March 16, 2009: The going seems to be good for the Indian Railways which has been able to sustain its freight loading figures.

March 16, 2009: Contrary to popular expectation, there was no revision in the freight rates for transporting cargo by the Railways in the recently announced Interim Railway Budget by the Railway minister Lalu Yadav. This has dealt a very hard blow to the Indian industries which had been reeling under the impact of slowing trade and were hoping for a rates revision.

March 16, 2009: The only major domestic corporate port, Ennore Port, recently inaugurated six projects amounting to Rs 520 crore. These ambitious projects are all aimed to develop it as a mega port with world class facilities to help it to become the eastern gateway Port of India.

March 16, 2009: The opening of representative office of one of world's leading shipping banks, DnB Nor, is a 'thumbs up' sign for the country as it is for the shipping, oil and offshore industries.

March 16, 2009: The Bombay Chamber Conference on 'The Maritime Industry - Catalyst for Economic Growth' will be held on March 17-18, 2009 at the Hotel Taj President, Mumbai.

March 15, 2009: China Shipping Haisheng Co and Hainan Mining Co have forged a shipping contract for transportation of iron ore.

March 14, 2009: Ship plate price shave been decreasing steadily since the middle of February and some offers have already fallen below production costs.

March 13, 2009: The week was witness to a slump in freight rates as demand for iron ore fell, primarily from China.

March 13, 2009: Allcargo Global Logistics has acquired nearly 6 percent in Gateway Distriparks for Rs 29 crore.

March 13, 2009: Cochin Port Trust (CPT) has signed the concession agreement with Petronet LNG (PLL) for transfer of 33.4 hectares on a 30 year lease in port-based SEZ for setting up a LNG terminal and a regassification plant at a cost Rs 4,000 crore, making it the largest investment in Kerala so far.

March 10, 2009: The country's first private sector port, Port Pipavav has achieved another feat in operational efficiency, by discharging 31,381 tons of coal in just 24 hours on 9th March.

March 10, 2009: Arshiya Rail Infrastructure, a container rail service provider, has initiated discussions with private equity players to raise around Rs 100 crore by offloading 15 to 18 percent stake.

March 7, 2009: Ship building firm Bharti Shipyard said that it has bagged a Rs 281-crore contract from the Ministry of Defence for supplying 15 interceptor boats for Indian coast guard.

March 6, 2009: The Baltic Dry Index has recovered from last weeks to low and has maintained its increasing trend during the last four days.

March 5, 2009: Shipping secretary A.P.V.N Sarma met the chief secretary and other senior officials of the West Bengal government to review the deteriorating draught situation in the Hooghly river near Haldia dock.

March 5, 2009: Responding to the appeal made by domestic shipowners to the government for financial assistance to tide over the present crisis, the Shipping Ministry has urged the Finance Ministry to arrange for Rs 10,000-crore line of credit for the industry.

March 5, 2009: ONGC is looking at renegotiating prices for 12 offshore support vessels with global and domestic shipyards that had submitted price bids in response to tenders some months ago.

March 5, 2009: The Rs 2,200-crore shipyard project proposed in Orissa by Oceanic Shipyard Ltd (OSL) - a joint venture between the Apeejay Surrendra Group and Bharti Shipyard - has been pushed into uncertainty due to delay in handing over the requisite land for the project.

March 5, 2009: Private rail operators - including Adani Rail Logistics, Gateway Rail Freight and Boxtran Logistics - are facing tough times due to rising operational costs and declining cargo demand over the past few months.

March 3, 2009: Maersk Line has announced enhancements and adjustments in its routes which are expected to open new intra-Gulf trade opportunities between Nhava Sheva port in Indian and Jebel Ali in the UAE.

March 3, 2009: The first direct container vessel feeder service between Kolkata Port and Yangon in Myanmar has started, with Orient Express Lines, Singapore commencing the service with a vessel that reached the Netaji Subhas Dock with 325 container boxes.

March 2, 2009: Coal consuming sectors may need separate agreements with logistics providers for ensuring smooth supplies of coal.

March 2, 2009: For the first time in six years, Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) is set to register a fall in cargo traffic over the previous fiscal on the back of poor iron ore trade in the region.

March 1, 2009: Shipping Corporation of India Ltd (SCI) has recently scrapped a tender to buy four dry bulk cargo carriers as demand for ships declines in the present slowdown in global trade.

March 1, 2009: The Baltic Dry Index which had been on a decline run for the entire previous week ended on a positive note recording 1986 points on 27 February. The Index corrected by 36 points from 1950 points recorded on 26 February.

February 28, 2009: The world's largest shipping container line Maersk Line has announced enhancements in its India-Europe (ME3) service. The company has added a new port call at Jebel Ali (Dubai), thus providing customers from West and North India a fast, direct and fixed day service to the Middle East.

February 28, 2009: Western Railway recorded a 27 percent increase in freight earnings to Rs 3,493.2 crore till January 2009 against Rs 2,750.47 crore during same period last year.

February 27, 2009: Great Eastern (GE) Shipping is negotiating with shipyards to cut a part of its order book of 10 ships - worth about $600 million (Rs 3,000 crore) - to overcome the downturn in freight rates for dry bulk carriers and tankers.

February 27, 2009: Third party logistics (3PL) is the latest buzzword in the Kerala logistics industry.

February 27, 2009: In February the container terminal at the Port Pipavav created a record by achieving a record work productivity of 120 moves per hour on M.V. Maersk Kolkata, the west bound North Europe Service (ME1).

February 27, 2009: ONGC has decided to cancel tenders for vessels and extend contracts on a nomination basis at old contract rates due to delays in supply of offshore supply vessels (OSVs).

February 27, 2009: The Maharashtra government has permitted Mumbai-based Earnest Shipping & Ship to develop Redi Port in Maharashtra, after a gap of almost after three years.

February 27, 2009: More and more ship-breaking activity at Alang may result in a decrease in steel prices.

February 26, 2009: The Baltic Dry Index has declined for three days in a row. The index seems to be on a decline mode after reviving for a few days in a row.

February 26, 2009: The country's largest private shipping company The Great Eastern Shipping Company Ltd. (G E Shipping) has delivered yet another ship to the buyers. This time the company has sent "Jag Vayu" to the buyers.

February 26, 2009: Chennai-based Sical Logistics has formed a special purpose vehicle (SPV) -- Sical Iron Ore Terminals Ltd -- with MMTC Ltd to set up an iron ore terminal at Ennore port.

February 25, 2009: Two bulk cargo vessels have been waiting at the outer anchorage of Kochi port due to a strike at the port.

February 25, 2009: French container operator CMA CGM has decided on a general rate increase on all services, essentially on routes such as Asia-Europe, Asia-Mediterranean, India/Pakistan to Europe and Asia to South America.

February 25, 2009: The domestic ports sector is expected to grow strongly in the coming years, driven by the country's rapid growing international trade and current port capacity constraints.

February 25, 2009: 3i India Infrastructure Fund has bought a minority stake in Krishnapatnam Port Company (KPCL) for close to $161 million.

February 24, 2009: Tuticorin port authorities are set to invite bids for developing the eighth berth as a container terminal with an annual handling capacity of six lakh 20-feet equivalent units containers.

February 24, 2009: The Shipping Ministry plans to delegate around Rs 500 crore financial powers to major port trusts to speed up implementation of various projects.

February 24, 2009: After ending the previous week on a strong note the Baltic Dry Index has begun this week on a weak note as it declined by 15 points to record 2084 points on 23 February.

February 24, 2009: Freight rates in the dry bulk shipping market continues to be on the path of improvement bearing a strong note revealed a recent Tex Report data.

February 24, 2009: Three key Indian Railways projects - involving an investment of Rs 21,737 crore - will now be entirely funded by the railways as the shortlisted foreign manufacturers have backed out.

February 24, 2009: The advantages of coastal shipping were recently discussed at the Indian Coastal Shipping Conference. The industry called for basic infrastructure, measures for speedy clearance of cargo and involvement of various governmental agencies for the promotion of coastal trade.

February 23, 2009: Union Minister for shipping, road transport and highways T R Baalu on Friday inaugurated six projects at the Ennore Port at a cost of about Rs 520 crore.

By Sarbani Haldar

February 23, 2009: The dry bulk shipping sector seems to have begun the New Year on a fresh note as it continued to display improving trends throughout January and even beyond.

February 22, 2009: The Indian Railways may have to set up the proposed rail coach factory at Rae Bareilly as a departmental production unit owned by it.

February 21, 2009: Ennore port has inaugurated six projects worth Rs 520 crore. The biggest is the Rs 250-crore marine liquid terminal, a build, own and transfer (BOT) project under the public-private-partnership model.

February 21, 2009: The rally over the past few days has failed to keep capesize freight rates from dipping from last week.

February 20, 2009: Vale has signed a contract with Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Co (ZPMC), a leading Chinese machinery producer, for supplying nine bulk materials handling machines.

By Sarbani Haldar

February 19, 2009: Growing trade volumes have led the government to emphasise world class standards for domestic ports of late. Domestic ports handle nearly 95 percent of the total foreign trade by volume and 70 percent by value.

February 18, 2009: The Centre may soon allow private companies to set up captive cargo handling berths at the existing 12 major ports.

February 18, 2009: Private shipyards are hoping to get some business from the defence sector in the wake of the economic slowdown. The likes of ABG Shipyard, Bharati and Pipavav are tying up with international engineering companies like Rolls Royce, Wartsila Diesel and Yanmer Marine, among others, to get a share of the Rs 8,000-crore defence pie for ships.

February 17, 2009: China has decided against setting up new shipyards or expanding existing ones for the next three years to help protect the sector in the face of the economic slowdown.

February 17, 2009: Higher interest outgo in the ports business has led to a drop in profit for Essar Shipping Ports & Logistics (ESPLL). Though the company has not had any contract cancellations, ESPLL director and chief financial officer V. Ashok remains concerned.

February 17, 2009: The upward rally that the Baltic Dry Index had been witnessing for some time seems to have been short lived as the Index declined for two days in a row.

February 16, 2009: Indian government's ambitious National Maritime Development Programme (NMDP), which was flagged off in August 2005, has been able to make substantial benefits to the port sector in the country.

February 16, 2009: At a time when the global economic downturn has affected all the sectors and has raised questions about the sustainability of the carrier services Maersk Line, a division of the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group has successfully completed 100 calls of the MECL 2 service at Chennai.

February 16, 2009: The Visakhapatnam port will construct five to six new berths over the next two to three years at an investment of over Rs 1,000 crore, said Ajay Kallam, chairman, Visakhapatnam Port Trust.

February 14, 2009: With freight rates remaining untouched in the Interim Railway Budget, there have been no direct benefits to India Inc, especially for sectors like steel and iron ore.

February 14, 2009: The Railways has increased the procurement target for wagons to nearly 15,000 vehicle units from the current annual average of 6,600.

February 13, 2009: Chennai Port Trust has registered a marginal decline in cargo traffic. Total traffic handled between April and December 2008 came down to 41,661 tons, compared to 42,318 tons during the same period last year.

February 13, 2009: The first ship has left Russia's Nakhodka port on the newly opened up route to Mumbai, with 25,000 tons of hot rolled and cold rolled coils and sheets.

February 12, 2009: Container handling volumes are set to better as a new Rs 495 crore private container terminal will be operationalised at Chennai Port in June 2009.

February 12, 2009: Domestic shipping companies have sought exemption from service tax on input services.

February 11, 2009: Leading private sector shipping company The Great Eastern Shipping Company Ltd. (G E Shipping) has contracted to sell "Jag Vayu" a 1978 built LPG gas carrier. The 28,400 dwt vessel would be delivered to the buyers in the fourth quarter of FY2009.

February 11, 2009: GVK group plans to foray into the port sector by setting up a maritime city at Okhamadhi port in Gujarat. The group has also initiated talks with Malaysia-based YTL Corporation for the project.

February 10, 2009: Gateway Terminals India (GTI) has recently commissioned two new quay cranes. With this the youngest terminal at Nhava Sheva has ramped up its capacity by an additional 500,000 TEU.

February 10, 2009: Construction on a 105-km portion of the eastern rail freight corridor will start on February 10.

February 10, 2009: The ship breaking industry at Alang in Gujarat seems all set to buck the recessionary trend. About 125 vessels from international shores are lined up at Alang yards, against 40 vessels in the whole of last year.

February 10, 2009: Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) is expected to end 2008-09 with traffic volumes of about 56 million tons (mt), compared to more than 57 mt in 2007-08.

February 10, 2009: Baltic Dry Index is continuing to travel northwards as the index gained by 173 points to 1815 points on February 9. The index ended last week on 1642 points as on February 6.

February 9, 2009: Three major container lines - Maersk, MSC and CMA CGM - are re-routing some of their services and slow steaming around the Cape of Good Hope to cut down on costs.

February 9, 2009: Nepal's traders - who had been using only Kolkata Port Trust so far for routing imports and exports - may now consider transit through other Indian ports.

February 9, 2009: The Chennai port has decided to shift its coal operations to Ennore port due to pollution concerns.

February 9, 2009: Mumbai-based BLR Logistics is flagging off its rail transportation services from February 9.

February 8, 2009: Railways has said that it will prioritise various rail projects to meet the steel industry's need for additional rail lines and higher freight-carrying capacity.

February 7, 2009: Cochin Port Trust has become the first e-port in India by implementing an ERP project that covers computerization of all its customer interface and internal back office processes.

February 7, 2009: The Union Government's decision of asking the Railways to give top priority to rake allotment for transportation of power-grade coal has come as a boon to Orissa's major port, Paradip, as well as Bhubaneswar-based zonal railway, East Coast Railway (ECoR).

February 6, 2009: Capesize freight rates have been steadily increasing over the past week on better Chinese demand for iron ore, primarily out of Brazil.

February 6, 2009: Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) had planned to form a mega dredging company with the Bombay Port Trust, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Kolkata Port Trust and Mumbai-based shipyard, Mazagaon Dock.

February 5, 2009: The Baltic Dry Index broke records of sorts when it gained by 168 points in a single day to reach 1316 points on February 4.

February 5, 2009: Baltic Dry Index (BDI) touched 1,148 on February 3, a 73 percent gain from its 22-year low of 663 two months ago.

February 4, 2009: The largest supply of shipping tonnage - a measure of the size or cargo capacity of a carrier - in over 20 years expected in 2009 may extend last year's decline in freight rates to the next 11 months.

February 3, 2009: Arshiya Rail Infrastructure Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arshiya International Ltd - a global supply chain and logistics solutions service provider - launched rail operations on February 2.

January 3, 2009: The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) crossed 1,000 points for the first time last week since it plunged below that level in October last year.

February 2, 2009: Ocean freight rates for moving containers from domestic ports to Europe have come down 50 percent to $450 (about Rs 22,000) per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU), from $900 in the past month.

February 2, 2009: The Great Eastern Shipping Co Ltd. (GE Shipping) has signed a contract to sell "Jag Riddhi" a 1997 built Handymax vessel.

February 1, 2009 : Indian Railways has invited expressions of interest (EoIs) for its proposed multi-modal logistics parks along the dedicated rail freight corridor.

January 31, 2009 : Tuticorin Port has announced 30 percent rate cuts in cargo handling with effect from February 1. The objective is to attract more cargo and increase its handling capacity.

January 31, 2009 : Two mainline container vessels are expected to call at the New Mangalore Port in the next two weeks.

January 29, 2009: Chennai Port Trust has entered a sister port relationship agreement with Canada-based Port of Halifax.

January 28, 2009: The Baltic Dry Index, which measures the cost of moving dry bulk by sea, recorded 1004 points on January 27.

January 28, 2009: Eastern Railway (ER) is upbeat on combining strong earnings with a number of development projects for rich dividends in the years ahead.

January 28, 2009: South Eastern Railway (SER) is planning to double lines between Padapahar-Banaspani and Barbil-Barajamda at an investment of Rs 129 crore and Rs 51 crore, respectively. This is expected to boost loading from that area.

January 28, 2009: A sharp fall in charter rates of dry bulk vessels has given rise to the threat of order cancellation for the shipping industry.

January 28, 2009: Manufacturers Texmaco and Titagarh Wagons are expected to bag orders from Indian Railways for supplying 2,408 and 1,553 wagons, respectively.

January 27, 2009: Gross tonnage growth for the domestic combined shipping fleet was nearly flat in 2008 as fleet expansion slowed down more than expected.

By Sarbani Haldar

January 27, 2009: With the number of vessels queuing up outside the Haldia port continues to grow, it is hampering the smooth functioning of the port. The number has shot up in the last one month, and currently there are about 60 ships waiting outside the port at the sandheads.

January 27, 2009: The cargo traffic handled at the Haldia Port registered a growth of about 2.09 percent in December 2008, when compared to the figure of December 2007.

By Sarbani Haldar

January 27, 2009: Though cargo traffic handled at major ports of the country grew by about 3.42 percent during April to December of 2008, they still fell short of their target by nearly 8.1 percent.

January 27, 2009: Visakhapatnam port has handled 52 million tons (mt) of cargo till date during the current financial year and is confident of achieving the target of 65 mt set by the ministry.

January 26, 2009: The Grand Port Maritime Du Havre (GPMH) of France, commonly known as Port of Le Havre, has expanded its international network by having a representative in India in view of the growing trade between India and the countries of the European Union.

January 23, 2009: The government on January 22 approved three port projects worth Rs 2,000 crore on public-private partnership (PPP) basis.

January 23, 2009: IIFCL (UK) Ltd, a subsidiary of India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL), will extend a $500-million loan to Sasan ultra mega power project.

By Sarbani Haldar

January 22, 2009: Dry bulk freight rates have showed signs of revival in the first week of the New Year, offering some hope for the already gloomy sector. The most remarkable development in this sector was the 51 points jump of the Baltic Dry Index on January 9 to 872 points.

January 21, 2009: The Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) will not place any new orders for vessels at least till March this year in view of the present market conditions, according to the chairman and managing director S. Hajara.

January 20, 2009: The Orissa government has asked the Centre for a package of Rs 1,520 crore for development of railways.

January 20, 2009: Chennai-based multi-modal freight and logistics company Tricon has entered a 50:50 joint venture (JV) with its German partner Rohlig to explore European markets better with a strong brand backing.

January 19, 2009: The downturn in the container business seems to have affected the much talked about sale of German box line Hapag-Lloyd.

January 19, 2009: London-based consulting firm Drewry Shipping Consultants feels the current year will be the toughest test yet for the global container shipping industry.

January 19, 2009: Indian Railways' total approximate gross earnings on an originating basis during April 1 to November 30, 2008 were Rs 49,818.10 crore, compared to Rs 43,726.51 crore during the same period last year.

January 18, 2009: A mainline container vessel with around 200 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo will call at New Mangalore Port on January 20.

January 17, 2009: Gangavaram port will soon start handling iron ore exports.

January 17, 2009: Total freight earnings of the Hubli division in the South Western Railway (SWR) zone will be in the range of Rs 3,300 to Rs 3,400 crore during 2008-09.

January 14, 2009: Paradip Port Trust (PPT) has commissioned a new dry dock, which is likely to save additional costs and time spent on sending vessels to Kolkata and Visakhapatnam. The dock involved a cost of Rs 18.5 crore, including dredging.

by Sarbani Haldar

January 12, 2009: The year gone by was a year of records for the dry bulk freight market. The last twelve months witnessed perhaps both, the best and the worst conditions of the market, which not only scaled some breathtaking highs but also saw some real lows, forcing analysts to revise predictions within short phases.

January 12, 2009: Hyderabad-based Navayuga Engineering Company Limited (NECL) recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Orissa for building an all-weather, mechanised port at Astaranga in Puri district.

January 12, 2009: 'Unfriendly measures' at Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port are driving away a major chunk of the cargo business to Mundra and Kandla in Gujarat.

January 12, 2009: Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) will 'wait and watch' before it acquires new ships, as asset valuations have declined on account of the downturn.

January 12, 2009: The shipping sector downturn may have a silver lining. Mitsui OSK Lines president Akimitsu Ashida believes forecasts of over-tonnage in the container shipping sector will fail to materialise in the near future.

January 12, 2009: Indian Railways freight traffic has continued to increase in the past few months, though slowly, indicating only a marginal impact of the global recession on the domestic economy.

January 12, 2009: Domestic shipping companies are likely to face further restriction on their already constrained finances due to the 15 to 25 percent increase in protection and indemnity (P&I) premiums, effected by the various P&I clubs that service them.

January 10, 2008: Baltic Dry Index has gone up by 51 points in a single day to 872 points on 9 January to end the week on a positive note.

January 9, 2009: A 52 percent hike in handling of iron ore during the December quarter, compared to the previous quarter, has resulted in a 2 percent increase in cargo handling through 12 major ports.

January 9, 2009: Minister for shipping and surface transport T.R. Baalu has voiced his confidence against a slowdown in the shipping sector.

January 9, 2009: An indefinite strike called by truck owners over parking fee has stalled movement of containers at Cochin port - especially at the Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal - for the last three days.

Source: Business Standard

January 8, 2009: Capesize freight rates in the Brazil-China route continues to be in the same range, according to the recently published Tex report data.

January 8, 2009: Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) expects a delay in the production increase it had planned for early next year, despite boosting its port capacity by commissioning a new ship loading berth.

January 8, 2008: The Baltic Dry Index has corrected further as it increased by 14 points to record 789 points on January 7. The Index had recorded 775 points on January 6.

January 7, 2009: Construction and infrastructure developer Maytas Infra Ltd has bagged a project worth Rs 110 crore from the Southern Railway.

January 7, 2009: Carriers like Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) and GE Shipping may be hard hit by the tanker segment, which is feeling the pinch of economic slowdown.

January 7, 2009: Baltic Dry Index has corrected slightly by 3 points to 775 points on January 6.

January 7, 2009: Cargo traffic handled at major ports of the country has grown by about 3.42 percent during the first nine months (April-December) of the current year.

January 6, 2009: Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) expects a delay in the production increase it had planned for early next year, despite boosting its port capacity by commissioning a new ship loading berth.

January 6, 2009: Clarksons latest report notes that prices of new buildings are expected to keep falling amid slack demand and contract cancellations.

January 6, 2009: Kochi Port Trust (KPT) authorities are eyeing various options to increase cargo throughput and avert a probable dip in revenue earnings caused by recessionary conditions.

January 6, 2009: Karnataka's exporters should make better use of the New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT).

January 6, 2009: The Paradip Port Trust, according to its chairman, K. Raghuramaiah, hopes to conclude by March 31 the concessional agreements with the bidders to be selected for the construction of two deep-draught berths, one each of handling coal and iron ore, in the port.

January 6, 2009: Poor cargo volumes and declining freight rates have begun to take their toll on container shipping operators on the US and Europe lines. Companies are reducing services as a result.

January 5, 2009: New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) has pegged its growth at 2.97 percent for cargo handling in the first nine months of 2008-09.

January 5, 2009: The freight market had been booming at the beginning of the year but shipping companies were badly affected by the slowdown in the last four months of the year.

January 5, 2009: It is estimated that about 200 box ships may be laid up at the beginning of 2009 on the back of falling cargo demand, plunging freight rates, vessel hires and a flood of tonnage on major routes.

January 5, 2009: The Ministry of Shipping has awarded only six berth construction projects in the past three years.

January 4, 2009: In 2009, the Indian Railways may face a concern area in lower than expected freight loading. Earnings from goods transportation is the major source of income. Almost 70 percent of total railway revenues accrue from freight loadings.

January 4, 2009: Paradip port can now invite financial bids for constructing deep draught coal and iron ore berths with the CCEA giving its nods to both these projects.

January 1, 2009: Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) will buy 40 ships at around $3 billion in a bid to double its tonnage capacity to around 10 million dead weight tons (dwt) by 2015.

January 1, 2009: Global container liners' India operations have been suffering. Every container liner is losing in excess of Rs 50 crore each month as the number of unclaimed containers have increased at various ports.

December 31, 2008: Exclusive waterfront rights with a few private port developers may serve a stumbling block to the Orissa government's bid to promote over a dozen ports along its 480 km coastline.

December 31, 2008: Southern Railway (SR) has been sanctioned over Rs 3,000 crore for capacity enhancement.

December 30, 2008: Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) has not yet signed a new contract with the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI). The previous one expired in March 2007 and negotiations have been on since then.

December 30, 2008: Local shipping companies charter rates have dipped alarmingly on the back of the fall in commodities demand.

December 30, 2008: Paradip port has started handling crude for the first time since December 28.

December 30, 2008: Eastern Railway has recorded a growth of 13.24 percent in originating freight traffic between April and November.

December 29, 2008: The railways' decision to increase freight rates of coal, coke and cement effective December 8 is likely to affect infrastructure projects, particularly the steel and power producers, who account for bulk consumption of coal in the country.

by Sarbani Haldar

December 29, 2008: The boom in the shipping sector seems to be over, with decreasing trade and falling freight rates in recent times. The past few months have seen a growing number of shipping companies worldwide cancelling orders while others are reviewing investment plans.

December 29, 2008: Expected vessel arrivals at Australia's major coking coal export port, the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal in Queensland, have nearly halved to 28 in December, compared with average arrivals of 50 to 55 vessels earlier, an official said at the beginning of the month.

December 29, 2008: Australian coal industry leaders have been asked to find a way to expand capacity at the Newcastle Port, one of the country's busiest ports.

December 29, 2008: Steel companies may get some relief as Indian Railways plans up to 6 percent cut in freight charges on domestic transportation of iron ore.

December 27, 2008: New Mangalore Port, which has capacity to handle 43.50 million tons of cargo, is planning to increase it to 66 million tons by the end of the 2011-12.

December 26, 2008: National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (NSCSA) will not cancel any orders and expects to double its fleet by 2011.

December 26, 2008: A single point mooring (SPM) and allied facilities for handling crude are expected to be set up at Kandla port under the public private partnership development model.

December 24, 2008: Two captive ports will be built by the Tamil Nadu government at Punnakkayal and Manappad in Thoothukudi district, besides an integrated terminal at the Madurai airport.

December 24, 2008: Gopalpur Port Ltd (GPL) is targeting two years to complete its Rs 700 crore second phase expansion.

December 24, 2008: The Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee has given the nod to two port projects, worth Rs 1,008 crore.

December 24, 2008: Shipping minister T.R. Baalu has sought a stimulus package for companies as a measure to combat the slowdown.

December 23, 2008: Titagarh Wagons has reportedly decided to focus on the railways sector as there have been substantially less orders from the non-railways segment.

December 23, 2008: MMX Mineracao e Metalicos SA has won the bid by Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (CSN) for port services. These will be provided by Terminal de Carga do Porto de Itaguai for shipment of iron ore produced at MMX's Sudeste System.

December 23, 2008: An indefinite strike by trailer truck operators has brought container traffic to and from Chennai port to a stop.

December 23, 2008: Hopes of dry bulk revival seemed to be short lived as the Baltic Dry Index has started its descent.

December 23, 2008: Hyderabad-based Navayuga Engineering Company Ltd (NECL) and the Orissa government will develop an all-weather, alongside berthing, mechanised port at Astaranga in Puri district at a cost of Rs 6,000 crore.

December 21, 2008: Shipping industry has demanded that the Centre create a Rs 10,000 crore fund to provide soft loans as availability of low cost money from abroad was increasingly drying up.

December 20, 2008: Badly hit by the global meltdown and falling commodity prices, the domestic shipping industry may abandon its expansion plans, at least partially.

December 19, 2008: With major infrastructure groups eyeing Kutch district of Gujarat to set up crude oil refineries in the near future, the Kandla port has announced setting up of a single-point mooring (SPM) and allied facilities for handling crude under the public-private partnership development model.

December 19, 2008: The railways is demanding 42 percent more land for the proposed dedicated freight corridor project than what was envisaged by RITES three years ago.

December 18, 2008: New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) will continue with its proposed plan to build five new berths.

December 18, 2008: Small domestic and Chinese shipping companies are buying old Great Eastern Shipping dry bulk carriers and hope to sell them when scrap prices rise next year.

by Sarbani Haldar

December 17, 2008: Freight rates for the movement of dry cargo have shown some improvement in the week beginning December 8, thereby offering some hope of revival to the gloomy dry bulk sector.

by Sarbani Haldar

December 17, 2008: The boom time that the shipping sector had been witnessing for the past few months now seems to be over with decreasing trade and falling demand.

December 17, 2008: The Kandla Port Trust (KPT) has beaten all odds to post very good results.

by Sarbani Haldar

December 17, 2008: Idle iron ore is the most recent problem at the Haldia port, which is already facing the problems of siltation and falling draft. Implementation of the new railway freight has also destroyed the locational advantage the port enjoyed since its inception.

December 17, 2008: The Adani Group plans to set up a dedicated automobile terminal at the Mundra port. In fact, according to a company executive, the group wants to turn the port into a hub for automobile exports.

December 17, 2008: In a recent move, the Indian Railways have raised the freight rates for the movement of cement, coal and coke by 100 basis points, drawing sharp reaction from across the industries where this has been implemented.

by Rajkumar Mitra

December 17, 2008: Sical Logistics, the Rs 720-crore integrated logistics company, is all set to strengthen its Chennai-based container and bulk operations within the first half of next year.

December 16, 2008: With major Indian Ports handling less cargo, the recent data by Indian Ports Association has shown that the Indian Ports have missed the target set for the April-November target by 8.25 percent.

December 16, 2008: Western Railway has increased November cargo handling 19.5 percent from last November to a record 4.65 million tons (mt).

December 16, 2008: About 135 container ships - totalling 3,00,000 TEUs - are believed to be laid up at present, from 2,70,000 TEUs three weeks ago and 1,50,000 TEUs about seven weeks ago.

December 16, 2008: The Baltic Dry Index which has been on the road to recovery, continued on its upward trend as it recorded 803 points on December 15.

December 16, 2008: The seasonal Gopalpur Port (GPL) is targeting about 5 lakh tons of cargo in this year's shipment season, compared to 3 lakh tons last year.

December 15, 2008: Old Mangalore port is set to double its vessel handling capacity.

December 15, 2008: Indian Railways has announced its decision to invest around Rs 30,000 crore ($6.6 billion) in upgrading infrastructure as well as boosting the economy.

December 13, 2008: After being adversely affected in handling of iron ore at Haldia port due to the introduction of new concessional freight structure by Indian Railways, the Kolkata Port Trust authorities have approached the ministry of railways to reconsider its decision.

December 13, 2008: The Railways may reduce freight charges on iron ore export traffic even further, indicated Shri Prakash, Railway Board Member (Traffic).

December 12, 2008: Freight rates for container cargo exported to the US and Europe have declined another 30 to 40 percent as a result of the recent fall in crude oil prices.

December 12, 2008: The Railway Ministry and GVK Power (Goindwal Sahib) Ltd have signed a long-term coal transportation agreement for the 540-MW power plant in Punjab. The move is in response to the international slowdown.

December 12, 2008: GE Shipping is lessening its dry bulk fleet as a reaction to the 93 percent slide in freight rate.

December 11, 2008: Kandla Port Trust is reportedly developing a 12-million ton per annum dry bulk terminal at Port of Kandla in Gujarat at a cost of Rs 882 crore.

December 11, 2008: Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) may lay up its bulk carriers after the Baltic Dry Index fell to 663 recently.

December 11, 2008: Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) is targeting the second-hand ships market where prices have dropped some 70 percent.

December 10, 2008: The Baltic Dry Index has seen some correction for two straight days in a row after being in the declining mode.

by Sarbani Haldar

December 8, 2008: Freight rates for dry cargo stayed low in November on declining trade and falling demand, along with global production cuts by steel companies.

by Sarbani Haldar

December 8, 2008: Haldia port is now confronted with the problem of idle iron ore even as it battles siltation and falling draft.

December 8, 2008: The ship-breaking business is booming with the crash in prices of ships sold as scrap. With the shipping industry in the throes of crisis because of the meltdown, more ships are being sent for breaking down at Alang, one of the biggest ship-breaking yards in the world.

December 8, 2008: Shipping companies are undergoing a lean phase, with the fall in freight rates, lack of demand and rupee depreciation. Though the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) has not "laid up" any ship yet, they have postponed asset purchases.

December 8, 2008: Container Corporation of India (Concor) will start operations at its Durgapur unit in a month or so. The unit is capable of handling 500 TEUs a month.

December 5, 2008: Revenues have sunk for the shipping sector as movement of commodities has slowed. The economic pause has affected rates badly.

December 5, 2008: The Supreme Court has said shipbreaking tantamounts to production and not a recycling process.

December 5, 2008: Mandi Gobindgarh has a new container freight station (CFS), set up by Gurudev Impex Pvt Ltd. The logistics facility will deal with exports and imports at the steel hub.

December 4, 2008: The Baltic Dry Index which measures the cost of moving dry goods by sea has declined further as it slipped below 700 points.

December 4, 2008: Hazira Port's liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal in Surat will be developed into a $500-million multi-cargo port.

December 3, 2008: South East Central Railway (SECR) has announced that it handled a total originating freight traffic of 85.84 million tons (mt), up 7.23 mt over the same period last year.

December 3, 2008: Indian Railways has hiked freight classification for movement of cement, coal and coke from 140 to 150 and charges are expected to rise 7.1 percent from December 8.

December 1, 2008: Traffic is reducing rapidly at the Haldia Dock System as siltation forces large vessels to unload half of the commodity at Paradip and Visakhapatnam to reduce weight. Companies are thus shelling out more to ship in raw materials.

by Coal Insights Bureau

November 28, 2008: Gujarat Pipavav Port (GPPL) is planning to increase the draft in its operations area and expand container handling capacity at a total cost of around Rs 260 crore.

November 27, 2008: The ship breaking industry in Alang is likely to gain from the global financial meltdown.

November 26, 2008: Freight rates for the capsize vessels which has perhaps been one of the worst affected by the falling demand, continues to be weak, as revealed by a recent data in the Tex Report.

November 26, 2008: The Andhra Pradesh government has said that the public-private partnerships in five ports in the state are bringing in investments of Rs 21,000 crore.

November 26, 2008: Gangavaram port, being developed by a consortium led by the chairman of the port, D.V.S. Raju, is in the process of testing various systems at the port.

November 25, 2008: The Baltic Dry Index, which measures the cost of moving dry cargo by sea has begun the week on a declining note.

November 25, 2008: Chartering a ship on a daily basis for cape size vessels has become cheaper at $21,000 (around Rs 10.5 lakh) a day, from $1,70,000 (Rs 85 lakh).

November 25, 2008: Titagarh Wagons' memorandum of understanding with Freight Car America (FCA) is expected to show results by the middle of next year.

by Sarbani Haldar

November 24, 2008: Problems related to siltation have been a major concern for a number of ports in the country, keeping in mind the future traffic projections as well as to improve navigability.

November 24, 2008: Importing and exporting majors in north-west England have underlined the importance of a regular weekly direct container service between India and Port of Liverpool. This will increase Indian exports' competition edge.

November 22, 2008: Nearly 1 million ton of iron ore, meant for bulk export from the eastern region, are lying dumped at the Haldia Port, port authorities say.

By Sarbani Haldar

November 21, 2008: Nine out of the 12 Indian ports have failed to meet their cargo handling targets for the first half of the present year.

by Sarbani Haldar

November 21, 2008: The Haldia port, which is strategically placed and thus holds an important position in the sea-borne trade of the eastern sector of the country, is faced with the problem of falling draft in the Haldia channel.

November 21, 2008: State-owned as well as private railway container rake operators have seen their volumes drop 10 percent in October, forcing some of them to weigh the option of keeping their rakes idle to reduce costs.

November 20, 2008: Gateway Terminals India (GTI), the port terminal at Neva Sheva has completed handling 1 million TEUs in the current fiscal year of April 2008-March 2009.

November 19, 2008: Road movement of iron ore from the mines to Paradip port has remained totally suspended for the past couple months while the rail movement of the ore has dropped substantially, according to K. Raghuramaiah, Chairman, Paradip Port Trust (PPT).

November 19, 2008: Dhamra Port Company (DPCL) Ltd, a Tata Steel and Larsen & Toubro joint venture engaged in setting up a bulk items handing port at Dhamra (Orissa), is keenly watching the declaration of the Talcher-Dhamra river systems as part of National Waterways No. 4.

November 18, 2008: Gateway Terminals India has achieved a record in operational productivity with MV Maersk Damietta doing 2706 moves in 15:55 hours.

November 17, 2008: Declining freight rates and lack of cargo availability are forcing dry bulk operators to idle their vessels for the time being.

November 17, 2008: The Baltic Dry index, which represents the cost of moving dry cargo by sea seems to be improving.

November 17, 2008: Larsen & Tubro (L&T), the country's largest engineering company, is engaged in talks with Europe's second-largest port Antwerp Port Authority to establish a greenfield port in the west coast of the country.

November 17, 2008: Container traffic at major ports have started to stagnate following the global economic slowdown that has hit global trade.

November 17, 2008: The East Coast Railway (ECoR) is gearing up to provide better rail connectivity to Kalinga Nagar area located in Orissa's Jajpur district to boost the industrial drive in the region which is poised to be the steel hub of the nation, attracting investment from leading domestic steel makers like Tata Steel and Jindal Stainless Limited (JSL).

November 16, 2008 : Andhra Pradesh want the Railway Ministry to allocate at least Rs 1,000 crore in the next budget for 10 major projects in the state.

November 16, 2008 : Andhra Pradesh want the Railway Ministry to allocate at least Rs 1,000 crore in the next budget for 10 major projects in the state.

November 14, 2008: Iron ore rakes seem to be preferring east coast ports - such as Chennai and Ennore - after the Railway Board issued a distance-based freight concession circular to the South Western Railway zone.

November 14, 2008: Paradip Port Trust (PPT) has sought approval from the Shipping Ministry for constructing a second oil berth at an estimated Rs 70 crore.

November 14, 2008: The Indian Railways recorded a near 40 percent drop in wagon loading for iron ore exports in October.

November 13, 2008: The Baltic Dry Index, which has been witnessing a down run for some months now, has corrected by 6 points to 824 points on November 12.

November 13, 2008: The Paradip Port Trust (PPT) is set to augment its capacity to handle liquid cargo, particularly crude and petroleum products.

November 13, 2008: In its efforts to provide better facilities to the truck operators and workers, the Kochi port has proposed to set up a new truck parking terminal in Willingdon Island.

November 13, 2008: One of the positive fallouts of the reduction in rail freight loadings has been the curbing of the black market in rake bookings, Railway sources said.

November 13, 2008: The construction work of the Rs 2460-crore Dhamra port, being developed by Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL), a joint venture of Tata Steel and L & T, is on track with more than one third of the work being completed.

November 12, 2008: International Seaport Dredging Limited (ISD) is all ready to buy two new dredging ships to be deployed in Indian waters with a cost of Rs 100 crore.

November 12, 2008: Between July and October this year, iron ore exports through the country's major ports dropped by more than 22 percent vis-À-vis the same period last year.

November 11, 2008:
By Sarbani Haldar: Dry bulk freight rates have plummeted to record levels, aided by the declining trade throughout the world as global recession makes its presence felt in all the sectors of the economy.

November 11, 2008: East Coast Energy Ltd has received a go ahead signal for creating a Rs 600-crore jetty.

November 11, 2008: South Korean Shipping company Hanjin Shipping in a partnership with Arab Shipping Company, would soon start a fixed weekly direct container service between India and Europe, revealed shipping industry sources.

November 11, 2008: The Baltic Dry Index, which represents the cost of moving dry cargo by sea, has declined by 9 points to 820 points on November 10.

November 11, 2008: A deepening financial crisis that is fast gripping even Asia and sinking commodity prices, has severely reduced sea freight costs and now the usual fourth quarter seasonal upturn in demand for shipping looks in doubt, giving still more evidence of the slowdown.

November 11, 2008: Kolkata Dock System (KDS) and Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) missed their April to September 2008 targets by over 20 percent.

November 10, 2008: The capesize freight market for Western Australia China route continued to be flat.

November 9, 2008: Last month saw global order for ships to tumbling by 90 percent as the credit crunch slowed down world trade and made it tougher for shipping lines to borrow money, informed Lloyd's Registers Group.

November 9, 2008: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy has requested Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav to allocate at least Rs 1000 crore in the next railway budget to take up 10 major railway projects in the state.

November 8, 2008: Long distance iron ore export freight charges will decrease 10 to 50 percent for the Indian Railways. Parameters like the distance and zone from which the iron ore will be loaded will govern the percentage of reduction.

November 7, 2008: Two senior Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) officials, Kolkata Port Trust's marine director and representatives of a Mumbai-based private firm are part of team going to China to find dredgers for Haldia dock.

November 7, 2008: Ancillary and downstream industries in Bhadrak district of Orissa are expected to gain from Oceanic Shipyard's proposed project at Charadia and Dhamra.

November 6, 2008: Great Offshore has taken over Andhra Pradesh-based KEI-RSOS Maritime (KEI) and Rajamahendri Shipping & Oilfield Services (RSOS) for Rs 160 crore.

November 6, 2008: Originating freight traffic handled by South East Central Railway (SECR) during April-October increased some 10 percent to 74.7 million tons (mt) from the previous corresponding period.

November 6, 2008: Domestic shipping companies are finding it tough to sustain operations after the sharp dip in shipping rates. Most are opting to keep vessels idle or even scrap their older ships.

November 4, 2008: Eredene Capital may tie up with Sattva Business Group for a container freight station (CFS) near Ennore port. The UK-based company will invest around Rs 40 crore in this.

November 3, 2008: With the aim to provide additional accessibility to the port, Gujarat Pipavav Port Limited (GPPL) has announced an immediate additional investment of Rs 260 crore to dredge 14.5 meters draft.

November 3, 2008: Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) still does not have land to set up its Rs 1,235-crore container terminal at Diamond Harbour dock.

November 3, 2008: The original conveyor belt for transporting material was conceived way back in the 19th century and over the years, the basic concept has remained the same, though technology has resulted in specialisation and customisation.

November 3, 2008: The industrial age brought with it a lot of development in automation techniques and the conveyor system was initially devised to help workers in factories with transportation needs.

by Madhuchanda Dasgupta

November 3, 2008: It was way back in 1905 that Richard Sutcliffe, an Irish-born British mining engineer, invented the first conveyor belts for use in coal mines.

October 31, 2008: Oceanic Shipyard's (OSL) Orissa shipbuilding yard and oil rig manufacturing unit is expected to be commissioned by early 2011. The company has already selected sites and sought around 1,000 acres from the state for them.

October 30, 2008: Baltic Dry Index has fallen to more than a six-year low. The global benchmark for dry bulk carrier freight rates dipped below 1,000, dropping 92 percent from its all-time high about five months ago.

October 29, 2008: There is now one train every four days on the North-South corridor, with Sical Logistics operating a third container train on the Delhi-Chennai sector. A fourth rake will be added by December.

October 29, 2008: Kolkata Port Trust chairman Dr A.K. Chanda has said 10 dredgers are likely to be working in the Hooghly by December.

October 29, 2008: Tuticorin Port Trust (TPT) has shortlisted five companies to operate its second container terminal. These include PSA-Sical (a joint venture between Singapore-based PSA International and Chennai-based Sical Logistics), Oceanic Transport, Chettinad Logistics, Afcons Infrastructure and Larsen & Toubro.

October 29, 2008: The Baltic Dry Index which measures the cost of moving cargo by sea fell below the 1000 mark when it touched 982 points on the 28th October. This is the lowest levels recorded by the index in the past two years.

The Index which has been in the declining mode for some time now had peaked to 11,793 points on the 20th May 2008 thereby marking the highest levels touched by it during this year.

Source: Sourcing Insights Bureau

October 29, 2008: Indian Oil Corporation's (IOC) refining operations at Haldia, Barauni (Bihar) and Bongaigaon (Assam) may be troubled by Haldia Port's draft problem. This, in turn, is likely to affect product availability.

October 29, 2008: Mundra Port & SEZ may soon become one of the leading suppliers of bunkers in the world.

October 29, 2008: The sharp dip in freight rates has led Ukraine's Industrial Carriers to file for bankruptcy, after it ran up debts of $33 million. Its fall has started fueling concerns that other big operators could go bust as freight rates test new lows.

October 27, 2008: The government is planning a Delhi-Mumbai dedicated freight corridor and has issued a notification for acquisition of land in Bharuch and Vadodara districts of Gujarat for the Rs 22,000-crore project.

October 23, 2008: The UK's PD Ports is looking to establish a footprint in the Indian market. It has appointed an agent, Faredeal Shipping Agencies Pvt Ltd, based in Mumbai to act on its behalf.

October 23, 2008: Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) has expressed concern over the depth of the Haldia dock navigation channel but assured that draught conditions were alright.

October 23, 2008: Officials have alleged that ships have been offloading cargo at other ports because of the falling draft at Haldia Dock. The channel draft is only 6.9 metres now.

October 23, 2008: Orissa will set up a captive port at Chudamani in Bhadrakh district and an all-weather multi-user port at Ashtaranga in Puri district.

October 23, 2008: The Jogbani-Biratnagar route will now be used as an alternative to Raxaul-Birganj for rail containerised imports through Kolkata port bound for Nepal.

by Sarbani Haldar

October 22, 2008: The freight rates which have been in steady declining mode over the last two months, has declined further in the month of October partly aided by the declining trade throughout the world as global recession makes its effect felt in nearly all the sectors of the economy.

October 21, 2008: It is likely that the week beginning on October 20, 2008, may figure among the most important in the history of the dry bulk shipping sector at least for the last couple of decades.

October 20, 2008: Ennore Port (EPL) will now help Japan's Nissan Motor Corporation to export cars manufactured here to European markets.

October 15, 2008: The Baltic Dry Index continues to decline and has decreased by 167 points on October 14, to 1809 points.

by Sarbani Haldar

October 8, 2008: Freight rates for the movement of iron ore and coal continued to decline in the month of September.

October 8, 2008: A consortium comprising IL&FS, Halcrow Consulting, Australian-legal firm Blake Dawson and Railways' subsidiary RITES will advise Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL) on the level of track access charges that it will receive from the Indian Railways.

October 8, 2008: Baltic Dry Index (BDI), an index covering dry bulk shipping rates and managed by London-based Baltic Exchange, dropped to 3,002 on October 3 from the peak of 11,000 plus in last May.

October 8, 2008: A sharp fall in demand for the shallow water rigs has badly hit companies engaged in offshore service business, which was already down with excess supply.

October 8, 2008: Future Logistic Solution Limited, a Future Group venture has said that they are beginning to get independent of their parent company and are in talks with other companies for the distribution of their brands in India.

October 8, 2008: With shipyards engaged in massive expansions and new players joining the bandwagon, Indian shipbuilding industry is striving hard to become a superpower within the next couple of years.

October 7, 2008: The Visakhapatnam port will invest about Rs 3,000 crore over the next 30 months to double its handling capacity. The port currently has a handling capacity of 61 million tonne.

October 7, 2008: The Kandla Port Trust is planning massive capacity expansion and has invited bids for several projects, including four multi-purpose berths, cargo handling facilities at Tuna Tekra, where a special economic zone (SEZ) is to come up, and additional facilities at Vadinar.

October 6, 2008: Project owners in India, wary of logistics problems anyway, are finding that Indian Railways is actually the weakest link in their business.

October 3, 2008: TNT India Pvt Ltd will spread its express delivery footprint in India. It is a wholly-owned Indian subsidiary of global logistics and express Dutch company, TNT NV.

October 3, 2008: Investment in domestic ports may come from majors in China, France and Britain now and would help private and government port authorities to use new technology and expedite implementation of schemes.

October 3, 2008: Kerala has given a letter of intent to Lanco Infratech Ltd for developing the Rs 8,300-crore Vizhinjam International Transshipment Terminal Port.

October 3, 2008: Dubai's DP World has effected a 10.3 percent hike in tariff at its Jawaharlal Nehru Port container handling terminal in Navi Mumbai from October 1, after regulatory approval.

October 3, 2008: Dubai's DP World has effected a 10.3 percent hike in tariff at its Jawaharlal Nehru Port container handling terminal in Navi Mumbai from October 1, after regulatory approval.

October 3, 2008: Steelmakers which source their iron ore from NMDC may be in for trouble. The railways has threatened to transfer its rakes from NMDC if the PSU does not maintain its promised loading.

September 25, 2008: Freight rates for the movement of dry cargo are declining, revealed a recent data in the Tex Report.

September 25, 2008: Caustic soda, caustic soda lye and alumina are likely to witness a reduction in transportation costs as Indian Railways has planned a 5 percent to 6 percent freight rebate applicable to privately-owned wagons.

September 25, 2008: NTPC's captive mine development programme is troubling due the delay the delay in establishing the Koderma-Hazaribagh-Banadag-Shivpur-Tori railway link.

September 25, 2008: Companies using the merry-go-round (MGR) system of the Indian Railways for loading coal, can be penalised if they are not able to load the committed number of rakes.

September 23, 2008: Freight rates for the movement of dry cargo have remained flat revealed a recent data in Tex Report.

September 23, 2008: The Baltic Dry Index (BDI), which represents the cost of moving dry cargo across different routes, has slipped further.

September 22, 2008: The sea freight industry is likely to meet troubled waters ahead as the international economy slows further on US cues.

September 22, 2008: Iron ore exporters have been apparently demanding a scaling down of classification of iron ore for non-domestic consumption from 2009, which is the highest freight rate in the Indian Railways.

September 22, 2008: Orissa is planning to set up a maritime development board for minor ports to plan, direct and implement maritime development projects with the private sector's participation. It is likely to be completed within next two to three months.

September 18, 2008: Indian Railways is likely to use more stainless steel for its rolling stock and the industry is thus targeting 10 percent growth from 1.6 million tons (mt) last year.

September 18, 2008: Ports fell 5.39 percent short of the target set by the Shipping Ministry for cargo handled in April-August 2008.

September 18, 2008: The Rs 5,348-crore deepwater container transshipment terminal proposed to be set up at Vizhinjam has got the Ministry of Shipping's approval.

September 16, 2008: Shipping companies may divert cargo from Haldia to Vizag port as a result of falling draft. Operating costs have increased 30 percent in the last two years.

September 15, 2008: The Rail Board has set out guidelines loading and transportation of ore keeping in view projected growth of the steel industry.

September 15, 2008: Indian Railways will expand its coal transportation footprint overseas through Ricon.

by Sarbani Haldar

September 15, 2008: Freight rates have continued to stay low in August and early September. This has added to the gloom in a sector troubled by a lack of fresh inquiries on declining demand and more available tonnage.

September 15, 2008: South Korea's Posco and Daewoo Logistics Corporation will develop port infrastructure in a joint venture with Balaji Infra Projects (BIPL) for a steel distribution centre (SDC) within Dighi Port, Maharashtra.

September 9, 2008: The cement sector is banking on lower logistics costs at a time when profit margins have slipped to 20 to 25 percent, from 35 to 40 percent.

September 10, 2008: Stone India Ltd has set its sights on a European company dealing with the manufacture and supply of railway equipment.

September 9, 2008: Congestion at Kochi port container terminal has hit vessel productivity. The situation has remained unchanged despite various measures.

September 9, 2008: BEML Ltd has bagged a Rs 31-crore development contract from the railways for design, manufacturing, supply and commissioning of two rakes of 18 units of stainless steel AC EMU coaches.

by Dhirendra Pandey & Lokenath Tiwary

September 8, 2008: Revision of freight rates for the second time in two months has made it difficult for buyers and transporters of polymers.

by Sarbani Haldar

September 8, 2008: The global boom in the shipbuilding segment has now widened to include India too.

September 8, 2008: South Korea's Posco is considering taking over the 50.40 percent stake up for sale in Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineers, the world's third biggest ship-building company.

September 4, 2008: Sical Logistics plans a 51:49 alliance with Jurong Port Ltd of Singapore for a project on the eastern or western coast. "We will finalise the location within the next three months," said Sical managing director and group CEO S. Rangnekar.

September 2, 2008: Goldman Sachs expects the Baltic Index to fall further as freight rates drop.

August 29, 2008: The Gateway Terminals India Private Limited (GTI), a joint venture company between AP Moller-Maersk and Container Corporation of India Ltd (CONCOR), surpassed the handling of 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) for this year on August 28, 2008.

August 29, 2008: Oil and gas carrier Varun Shipping Co Ltd is going to focus on oil field services in South Africa "more seriously."

August 28, 2008: Indian Railways' freight operations information system (FOIS) will help Steel Authority of India (SAIL) to monitor movement of its incoming and outgoing traffic, according to SAIL sources.

August 28, 2008: Preparatory work for a Rs 1,228-crore offshore container terminal on a build, operate, transfer basis has started, after the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) and promoters of Indira Container Terminal signed the licence agreement.

August 27, 2008: Amid reports that Australia is planning to set up its first coal port after a gap of nearly 25 years, there are now reports that even the US is planning to expand its coal export terminal capacity.

August 27, 2008: The Shipping Corporation of India Ltd (SCI) continues its vessel acquisition spree, with orders for four Panamax bulk carriers placed on August 13, 2008 with STX Shipyard.

August 26, 2008: The Save Haldia Dock Committee and the Haldia Dock Officers' Forum have called for united action to save the dock from its present navigability crisis.

August 26, 2008: The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) has started initial work on the project even as Indian Railways works on the funding. This includes short-listing vendors for certain segments.

August 22, 2008: Eastern India's miners have decided to build a 600-km road at an investment of Rs 300 crore because of the trouble they have been facing during the monsoons.

August 22, 2008: The domestic shipbuilding industry has seen a growth of over 290 percent in its order book in the past 18 months, from 0.84 million gross tonnage in 2006 to 3.3 million gross tonnage.

August 22, 2008: Terminal operator DP World is trying to regain normalcy after shipping lines agreed to move long-standing import boxes from the container terminal to the private container freight station (CFS).

August 19, 2008: Freight rates for movement of dry cargo strengthened in the present week as compared to a week earlier.

by Sarbani Haldar

Freight rates for nearly all sections of the dry bulk market declined in the first week of August.

August 18, 2008: Tata Steel is going full steam ahead with its Dhamra port project, a 50:50 joint venture between Tata Steel and L&T. A section of the media had recently reported stalling of the project.

August 14, 2008: The surge in crude oil prices has led Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) to decide to invest over Rs 1,200 crore in offshore activities by the end of the year.

August 14, 2008: Kolkata Port Trust has begun to strictly enforce regulations with regard to fitness of vessels, discouraging Bangladeshi barges from calling. Most Bangladeshi vessels do not have the valid certification from any international classification society.

August 11, 2008: The east coast is all set to get state-of-the-art technology ports with rail linkages to mineral-rich regions and deeper draught conditions. This is likely to change India's exim business.

August 11, 2008: Private container train operators and those engaged in domestic movement have been troubled by the sudden hike in haulage charges. Domestic operators generally concentrate on heavy traffic, like steel items, as the margin in the transportation of these items is handsome.

August 8, 2008: Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) has brought a sea change in its loss-making liner business by exporting iron ore in containers which were built to carry packaged cargo such as apparel, machinery and fruits.

August 8, 2008: Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) is planning coastal movement of imported coal between Visakhapatnam and Paradip ports and Haldia. It has invited bids from ship owners, coastal operators, brokers/agents and others.

August 6, 2008: Kolkata Port Trust chairman A.K. Chanda has poor navigability of the Hooghly river is not an issue and that "the fear of closure of Haldia dock, as expressed in some quarters, is unfounded."

August 6, 2008: New Mangalore Port Trust's marshalling yard has a new railway unloading facility by the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL).

August 6, 2008: Chennai Port Trust (ChPT) has decided to 'review and modify' the modality structure for the Rs 3,100-crore 'mega container terminal.' The project has just completed the request-for-qualification (RFQ) stage and will see fresh bidding now.

August 1, 2008: Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Infrastructure has joined hands with China South Railway to bid for a new Rs 1,400-crore rail coach factory at Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh.

July 31, 2008: The Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Limited recently announced completion of the "Nova Era", the new 300,000 dwt type ore carrier at Ariake Shipyard of Universal Shipbuilding Corporation.

July 31, 2008: The Indian Railways has received bids for its proposed electric locomotive factory in Madhepura, Bihar from Alstom, Bombardier, Siemens, a consortium comprising China-based CSR Zhuzhou Electric Loco Works and Monnet International and Japanese consortium comprising Mitsubishi, Kawasaki and Toshiba.

by Rajkumar Mitra

With the onset of the rainy season, June coal despatches by rail from Coal India Ltd (CIL) subsidiaries took a beating as these coal producing companies were not able to meet even the reduced targets.

July 28, 2008: Tata Steel logistics subsidiary TM International Logistics (TMIL) plans to set up facilities for 'last mile connectivity' in freight movement. It has already chartered a barge to operate between Haldia and Paradip ports.

July 28, 2008: Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) is considering ordering 42 vessels for $5 billion by the end of 2010.

July 25, 2008: The N.S.C. Bose Airport in Kolkata is all set to get a modern storage system. This will help maximise the utility of perishable import and export goods.

July 25, 2008: Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) has received the Cabinet's approval to acquire four Panamax bulk carriers for $238.2 million.

July 22, 2008: The government has decided to ban all companies from Dubai, Hong Kong, China and Pakistan from investing in port infrastructure projects in the country. Consequently, the ports and shipping ministry will reopen bids for at least 10 port projects.

July 22, 2008: The shipping ministry has conferred the Miniratna status to Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).

July 21, 2008: Great Eastern Shipping (GE Shipping) has announced a net profit of Rs 387.59 crore for the first quarter ended June 2008, a 7.94 percent decline over the corresponding period last year.

July 21, 2008: Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is ramping up its operations in the railway space.

by Rajkumar Mitra

July 18, 2008: The immense potential of third party logistics as a service has brought about a sea change in certain public sector units trying to establish themselves in this space.

by Sarbani Haldar

July 18, 2008: From the record high levels in the month of May, dry bulk freight rates witnessed a downturn in the latter part of the month of June.

July 16, 2008: The Railways has decided to give a 25 percent discount on domestic iron ore freight booked to ports in a bid to help steel companies hit hard by rising input cost. The discount is in continuation of special dispensation that Railways is giving for transporting iron ore. It has already abolished port congestion surcharge and brought ore under lower classification for levying freight charges.

July 16, 2008: Commercial operations of the first phase of Krishnapatnam Port project would be flagged off on July 17th, which would have four berths -- two for coal and one each for iron and general cargo.

July 16, 2008: A strike called in 12 major ports of the country from July 16 by port unions seems imminent after the workers' unions declined offers from the management.

July 16, 2008: In a move that may cripple the nation's oil and gas production, the shipping ministry has issued new norms for operation of vessels in Indian waters that will force leading operators such as Oil and Natural Gas Corp and Reliance Industries to shut offshore operations.

July 14, 2008: The industrial sector in Andhra Pradesh will get a major boost when the country's largest private port in the making will be thrown open at Krishnapatnam next week.

July 14, 2008: The project cost of the proposed container terminal at Diamond Harbour dock system on the river Hoogly, 40 km downstream from Kolkata, has more than doubled from the estimated cost to Rs 1233 crore, and the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) was about to float request for qualification (RFQ) for the project next month on this basis.

July 14, 2008: The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) will finalise the terms and conditions for setting up port facilities at a cost of Rs 120 crore at Diamond Harbour through the PPP model at its forthcoming board meeting this month.

July 11, 2008: In a recent development Port Pipapav has commissioned a state-of-art environmentally responsive coal handling facility capable of storing nearly 2, 50,000 million tons (mt) of coal.

July 10, 2008: In the first quarter of the current fiscal (April to June 2008-09), the traffic throughput in 12 major ports posted 8.8 percent growth at 133.88 million tons compared with 122.99 million tons in the corresponding period of 2007-08.

July 10, 2008: With prices of inputs like steel and cement sky rocketing in the last two years, the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL) will have to put in an additional Rs 11,000 crore to fund the ambitious eastern and western freight corridor project.

July 10, 2008: India's largest sea carrier Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) has been able to place only half of its planned order for ships estimated for the 11th Five-Year Plan as shipyards across the globe are overbooked and have a long waiting list.

by Sarbani Haldar

July 9, 2008: In line with its plans to become an integrated logistics provider Essar Shipping Ports and Logistics (ESPLL), is planning to set up ports in Brazil, China and Vietnam to provide integrated support for its steel and power generation businesses there.

July 8, 2008: Following widespread criticism for its decision to levy special supplementary charge on key commodities like coal, petroleum products, foodgrains and fertilisers, the railway ministry has decided to hold it in abeyance for the moment.

July 8, 2008: The Cochin Port Trust has received a good response from both Indian and foreign dredging companies, when the port made a second attempt for tendering the capital dredging work together with maintenance dredging in the channel prior to the commissioning of the ICTT project.

July 7, 2008: The Jawaharlal Nehru port's Rs 800-crore project for dredging and widening of the main harbour channel, which has been a non-starter for over five years, appears set to face fresh delays.

July 4, 2008: Fearing an adverse impact on the price of essential commodities, the Railways withdrew its earlier order for the special supplementary charge to be levied on certain commodities from July 1.

July 3, 2008: The Ennore Port Limited (EPL), India's first corporate port, has shortlisted five consortiums and one individual company to build its proposed container terminal at an estimated cost of Rs 1,300 crore.

July 2, 2008: Damco, the global forwarding company completed one year of its operations on the July 1, and recorded a turnover of $2.9 billion during the year.

July 2, 2008: The New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) witnessed a growth of 103 percent in container traffic during the first quarter of the current financial year.

July 1, 2008: India's demand for chartering ships is nearly four times its fleet size of 860 ships. The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) received 3942 requests for chartering ships last year.

July 1, 2008: In a move that could escalate inflation further in the coming weeks, the Railways have decided to levy special supplementary freight charges on transportation of commodities like coal, ore, petroleum products, fertilisers, machinery, machine tools and foodgrains.

June 30, 2008: Maersk Line has signed an agreement with Hyundai Heavy Industries for the delivery of 18 container vessels in 2011 and 2012. The vessels will each have a capacity of 4,500 TEUs, the company informed on June 24.

June 27, 2008: Fuel cost that used to contribute around 20-25 percent of the entire freight cost has already touched 45 percent, thanks to the astronomical rise in fuel cost.

June 27, 2008: India has invited global bids for expanding capacity of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) near Mumbai estimated to cost Rs 6 billion, Transport Minister T.R. Baalu said on June 26.

June 27, 2008: Shipbuilder ABG Shipyard has won an order worth Rs 585 crore from Sealion Shipping Ltd on behalf of Toisa Ltd, it said on June 27.

June 26, 2008: Essar Shipping, Ports & Logistics (ESPLL) is planning to set up ports in Brazil, China and Vietnam to provide integrated support for its steel and power generation businesses there.

June 26, 2008: In what could add further fuel to the inflationary fire, the Indian Railways is hiking freight charges for ores and minerals, petro-products, coke and coal, fertilisers, foodgrains and a host of other commodities by 5 to 7 percent.

by Rajkumar Mitra

June 25, 2008: Transport service providers operating trucks are currently in a spot, finding it difficult to recover the cost of operations and remain profitable at the same time.

June 25, 2008: In a major diversification drive, Jindal Saw Ltd (JSL), part of the $10-billion OP Jindal Group plans to set up the country's first ship-building and repair hub in Gujarat with an investment of over $2 billion.

June 25, 2008: With plans to become an integrated logistics provider, Essar Shipping Ports and Logistics (ESPLL), the Indian subsidiary of Cyprus-based Essar Shipping, plans to venture into third-party logistics services.

June 20, 2008: Indian logistics major VRL Logistics is on course for a major expansion of its facilities in India with an estimated investment of Rs 1,100 crore over the next two years.

June 20, 2008: More freight trains might ply between India and Pakistan, with the Railways delegations of both countries deciding to explore running of longer freight trains and container train services in a meeting.

June 18, 2008: The cost of sending containers to Europe through sea is going to rise by $45 per TEUs (twenty equivalent units) from July 1, as the shipping lines connecting Indian and European ports have gone for the second round of increase in freight rates since June 1.

June 18, 2008: Europe's second biggest port, Port of Antwerp, said that it is looking at investing in Indian ports and offer consulting services.

June 18, 2008: The much-awaited capital dredging for deepening the Paradip port's channels has finally started.

June 17, 2008: Maersk Line, the world's largest shipping container line, and a part of the A. P. Moller - Maersk Group on the 16th June announced that it has signed a 10-year agreement with the Hutchison Port for terminal usage at Trinity Terminal, the Port of Felixstowe, UK to meet the company requirements.

June 17, 2008: There is a mini-chaos at the JNPT port in Mumbai. As many as 15,000 containers filled with export and import cargo approximately worth Rs 1,500 crore are stuck at the port as agitators from the Gujjar community have blocked rail lines in Jaipur and adjoining areas.

June 13, 2008: Mercator Lines (MLL), the private shipping company, is planning to acquire a jack-up rig with an investment of Rs 1,500 crore.

June 13, 2008: The Indian Railways registered a 26 percent growth in freight earnings in May 2008 year-on-year.

June 13, 2008: The Kochi Port has constituted a committee to study and compare the rates including overhead charges prevailing at the neighbouring ports in Tuticorin and New Mangalore ports.

June 13, 2008: Shipping companies are reaping a bonanza as crude stockpiles in the US have hit rock bottom.

June 10, 2008: The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) has ended 2007-08 with a freight throughput of 57.28 million ton (mt), achieving the third slot among all Indian major ports after Kandla (64.89 mt) and Visakhapatnam (64.6 mt).

June 9, 2008: Maersk Line, the world's largest shipping container line and a part of the A.P. Moller- Maersk Group was awarded the 'Highest Throughput handled by a Shipping Line' award at the 19th anniversary celebration ceremony of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT).

June 9, 2008: The Tuticorin Port Trust (TPT) is planning to invest Rs 5,200 crore to create additional capacity and infrastructure.

June 6, 2008: The downstream activities of JSW Infrastructures has come under a cloud with the shipping ministry raising objections about its operations

May 30, 2008: ABG Infralogistics is set to secure the operation, handling and maintenance contracts for two berths, (Nos. 2 and 8) at the Haldia dock, thus outbidding three others in the race, namely, TM International Logistics (in partnership with Ripley & Co), Sical Logistics and Orissa Stevedores Ltd, it is learnt. However, the Board of Trustees of the Kolkata Port Trust is yet to formally approve the selection of the company.

May 30, 2008: The Union Government has agreed to support the Coastal Corridor project covering the districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and East Godavari District in the State.

May 30, 2008: Large steel makers such as Tata Steel, Jindal, RINL and SAIL would soon get 'favoured customer' treatment from Indian Railways. In an attempt to promote bulk freight movement on its network, the Railways is introducing a new "freight load preference policy" for steel players fighting inflationary pressures due to spurt in iron ore prices.

May 29, 2008: The Water Transport Workers Federation of India has questioned the order of the Director General of Shipping in banning foreign cargo vessels of over 25 years age and gas carriers of over 30 years from sailing in Indian waters.

May 29, 2008: Mundra Port and SEZ Ltd's PAT increased by 12 percent Rs 210.42 crore (Rs 187.17 crore) while its revenues went up by 44 percent Rs 844.92 crore (Rs 586.95 crore) in the fiscal 2007-08, according to the consolidated audited financial results declared by the company.

Source: Business Line

May 29, 2008: he agitation by the Gujjars in Rajasthan, which entered the sixth day on May 29, has affected freight movement by rail on the busy Delhi-Mumbai route.

May 28, 2008: Rising international crude price has made the movement of goods in and out of India to the US and Europe costlier by 60 and 35 percent, respectively.

May 28, 2008: The owner of the world's largest container shipping line, AP Moller-Maersk, will abandon two key strategies that have shaped the sprawling Danish group as it seeks to recover from a period of patchy profitability.

May 28, 2008: DP World will buy out from its partners the entire 25 percent stake in DP World Chennai, which operates the private container terminal at Chennai port, to make it a 100 percent owned terminal.

May 27, 2008: The Dhamra port project is estimated to cost Rs 2,463 crore in the first phase, the CEO of Dhamra Port Venture, Santosh Mohapatra, said on May 26.

May 26, 2008: The Indian port traffic is set to grow at the rate of 10 to 12 percent per annum over the next five years with the overall traffic of the major as well as the minor ports being projected at 1,008.95 million tons (mt) by 2012 up from 588.63 mt in 2006-07, says a study by ICRA, a credit rating and management consulting firm.

May 24, 2008:

By Dhirendra Pandey & Lokenath Tiwary: The Container Corporation of India is faced with stiff competition from private players entering the container transport operation business. Although it is far ahead in terms of infrastructure to the 14 private players who have obtained the licences to run container trains, Concor's position may well be threatened if a level playing field is provided.

May 23, 2008: Ennore Port Limited (EPL), the only corporate port in the country near Chennai, has attracted 22 domestic and international bidders to build the Rs 1,300 crore container terminal inside the port, which will have an annual capacity of 1.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

May 23, 2008: Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), the nation's biggest sea carrier, will borrow $1.3 billion to purchase more vessels because of rising trade in the country.

May 22, 2008: The average daily loading of East Coast Railway (ECoR) has dropped to around 10,000 wagons (four-wheelers) from the targeted 10,500.

May 20, 2008: Dubai's Emirates Trading Agency (ETA), the flagship business of ETA-Ascon and the Star Group, has written to the state government evincing interest in setting up a shipbuilding yard and a port along the state's coastline.

May 20, 2008:The ministry of shipping is launching 10 major expansion projects in 2008-09 at an estimated investment of Rs 5,000 crore. About 60 percent of this investment will be for the Chennai mega container terminal, expected to cost around Rs 3,100 crore.

May 20, 2008: Riding on high cargo volume and handling bigger ships, the Chennai Port Trust set a record net profit of Rs 302 crore during 2007-08, a 54 percent growth over last year's figure of Rs 197 crore. Revenues increased by 32 percent to Rs 890 crore (Rs 674 crore).

May 19, 2008: In the wake of rising steel prices, the railways has revised its contract clause to avoid adverse effect on progress of its infrastructure projects besides insulating contractors from the vagaries of the market.

May 19, 2008: After reducing the freight rate for iron ore, the Railways may cut transportation rates for steel also as part of the government's measures to control inflation that is at a 44-month high.

May 15, 2008: In a surprise move, the Director General of Shipping (DGS) has exempted vessels with Indian flags from the recent ban it had imposed on chartered ships older than 25 years from plying in India's territorial waters in bad weather.

May 14, 2008: The Railways expects a sharp increase in cement loading in the current fiscal, with new cement plants coming up at neighbouring Ariyalur and the existing units enhancing their production capacity.

May 14, 2008: Ambuja Cements, India's second largest cement maker, is keen on setting up port terminals in India and will bid for new projects, said managing director A L Kapoor.

May 13, 2008: Mercator Lines has drawn up a Rs 4,000-crore capital expenditure programme for the next two years to expand its fleet of ships to cash in on the growing dry bulk market and consolidate its presence in high-growth markets.

May 13, 2008: The South Eastern Railway (SER) handled 9.9 million tons of originating freight traffic in April, registering 17.5 percent growth over the same period of last year, according to SER sources.

May 9, 2008: Continuing its growth trend, the Railways earned Rs 6420.59 crore during April this year compared to Rs 5500.40 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 16.73 percent.

May 8, 2008: Hindustan Shipyard Ltd delivered the third vessel of the four trader series, the 30,000-DWT bulk carrier m.v. Good Pacific, to Goodearth Maritime Ltd (Chennai) on May 7.

May 7, 2008: The Shipping Ministry is examining demands of Indian shipping firms and other domestic firms regarding qualifying norms set for the container terminal at Ennore port, the bidding process for which is currently on.

May 7, 2008: Tata Power plans to foray into shipping. The company will invest $500 million through its Singapore-based special purpose vehicle, TPC Energy Asia, to prepare a fleet of nine vessels to transport coal from Indonesia to its plants located in the western coast of India.

May 2, 2008: The Kerala government has declared the first inland container depot, which is nearing completion at Muttam in Kottayam district, as a mini port under the Indian Port Act 1908. The inland container depot is being built at a cost of Rs 9.36 crore.

April 29, 2008: Volatility continues to dog dry bulk markets. After its record high of 11039 on November 13 last year, the index had plunged to 5615 in January 2008. On April 24, it is up 320 points at 9182. According to analysts, the index is gathering steam and in May it could surge further and go back to the high days of November.

April 28, 2008: With rising steel prices threatening timely completion of several works, the Railways may revise the price variation clause in future projects to protect contractors from market upheavals.

April 28, 2008: The Railways' decision to impose a 'busy season surcharge' of 5 to 7 percent till June 30 has impacted prices of almost all commodities. This move, coming at a time when the government is going all out to rein in prices, has added to the woes of the companies. While coke and coal attract a 5 percent surcharge, all other commodities attract 7 percent surcharge. Only container movement has been spared of the surcharge.

April 24, 2008: Indian ports are operating at over 90 percent capacity utilisation and are grappling with land acquisition issues and delays for improving infrastructure, a report by Ernst & Young and FICCI said.

April 24, 2008: The Gangavaram port is getting ready for operations, with five berths in the first phase, and the inauguration may take place sometime in May or June, according to sources.

April 23, 2008: Andhra Pradesh chief minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, would lay the foundation stone for the proposed Rs 1,590-crore Machilipatnam deep water port on 23rd April.

April 23, 2008: The UK companies in the railway sector would be interested in joining hands with their counterparts in India to bid for various railway projects in India, including the proposed dedicated freight corridors, according to the International Business Development Director of the London-based Railway Industry Association, the trade association for the UK's railway supply industry, Tim Gray.

April 22, 2008: The East Coast Railway (ECoR) is in a dilemma. The Railway Board, it is learnt, would like it to handle more than 100 million tons of originating freight traffic in 2008-09 as compared to 93.19 million tons in 2007-08, but the railway is not sure if such a big jump in throughput is achievable at all. The throughput in the current fiscal, it is estimated, could be up at the best by an additional 5 million tons to reach 98 million tons or so.

April 22, 2008: The Indian Railways freight earnings for fiscal 2007-08 have gone up by 13.86 percent driven by a combination of higher freight volumes and tariff hikes.

April 22, 2008: The Railways hopes to grab larger share of goods once the dedicated freight corridor (DFC) becomes operational.

April 22, 2008: Freight rates witnessed a firm increase during the week ended on April 18. The rates went further up on April 22 on the back of the scarcity of available tonnage.

April 21, 2008: Ennore Port Ltd (EPL) has decided to shift iron ore cargo vessels to Chennai port from April 2009, to complete its ongoing expansion projects on time without cost overrun. As on date, 25 per cent of the dredging work is over and the liquid cargo terminal will be ready for commissioning by September 2008.

April 17, 2008: Steel, cement and power companies would have to dig deeper into their pockets if they want to do business with the railways.

April 16, 2008: Buoyed by a higher surplus from operations, Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) will float tenders for installing a mobile harbour crane at one of the berths at the Netaji Subhas Dock (NSD) within two to three months.

April 16, 2008: In 2007-08, South East Central Railway (SECR), handled a total originating freight traffic of 121.6 million tons (mt) against the target of 119 mt, according to SECR sources. In 2006-07, the throughput was 109.1 million tons.

April 15, 2008: Rickmers Line, the German shipping major which specialises in global transportation of break bulk, heavylift and project cargo, is eyeing acquisitions of warehouses and road transport firms with trucks and trailers in India. It also wants to get into break-bulk terminal handling in ports along with partners.

April 11, 2008: The New Mangalore Port during fiscal year 2007-08 handled a record traffic of 36.02 million tons as against 32.04 million tons handled during the previous year, registering a growth of 12.41 percent over the previous year and 4.89 percent over the target fixed by the ministry, Tamilvanan, chairman, NMPT said.

April 10, 2008: The Cochin Port Trust intends to cancel the tender for capital dredging in the channel as the rates quoted by the foreign dredging company for the work are exorbitantly high.

April 10, 2008: Even as India aims to double port capacity to 1,500 million tons by 2011-12, industry experts have stressed on the need to have a faster decision making process.

April 9, 2008: Chennai port cargo throughput from April 2007 to March 2008 has increased to 57.15 million tons, surpassing the shipping ministry's target of 55.86 million tons. This is an increase of 7 percent from the previous year's achievement of 53.41 million tons.

April 9, 2008: The Indian Railways has signed the traffic guarantee agreement with the prospective users of the proposed 82-km-long Haridaspur-Paradip railway line in Orissa.

April 9, 2008: Eastern Railway's (ER) originating freight loading in 2007-08 dropped to 44.8 million tons from 48.3 million tons in 2006-07, largely due to lower loading of coal in the mines under Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL).

April 8, 2008: The Tamil Nadu government is planning to develop more small and minor ports in the state to supply coal for power plants and promote coastal shipping.

April 7, 2008: The Paradip Port Trust has said it will invest Rs 2,500 crore over five years to double its vessel handling capacity to 111 million tons per annum (mtpa).

April 4, 2008: The South Eastern Railway (SER) has generated a record freight earning of Rs 4,882 crore from April 2007 to February 2008, a 10.8 percent growth over Rs 4,405 crore earned in the corresponding period in the previous fiscal.

April 4, 2008: With some of the maritime states showing considerable initiative to develop minor ports, the country's cargo traffic by sea is poised for a major leap forward in the near future, according to chairman of the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT), Praveen Agarwal.

April 3, 2008: Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone (MPSEZ) is considering offering stake in the second container terminal (CT2) to shipping lines to ensure steady volume flow, sources said.

April 3, 2008: The Visakhapatnam port has surpassed the cargo target of 64.24 million tons set by the Union Shipping Ministry. According to a press release issued by the port authorities on April 2, the port handled 64.60 million tons in 2007-08 against the target of 64.24 million tons.

April 2, 2008: Surpassing all previous records, the Railways carried nearly 794 million tons of freight in the last fiscal that ended on March 31, 2008. It is an all-time record in freight loading, said the Railway Board Member (Traffic), V.N. Mathur, on April 1.

April 1, 2008: The Visakhapatnam port and HPCL on March 31 signed a memorandum of understanding valid for 30 years, relating to certain commercial terms and conditions, according to a press release issued by the port.

April 1, 2008: Work on the two dedicated freight corridors, Eastern and Western, is expected to commence in October or November. The issue of funding the project was sorted out recently, according to chairman of the Railway Board, K.C. Jena.

March 26, 2008: The Planning Commission has formed a new committee to assess the feasibility of coal transportation through waterways. The committee headed by Member (Energy), Planning Commission, Kirit Parikhwill also recommend set of measures for 'incentivising' coastal power projects based on domestic and imported coal transported through waterways.

March 25, 2008: The Container Corporation of India (Concor) has hiked freight rates on containers moving between Kolkata port (both Kolkata Dock System and Haldia dock) and Birganj inland container depot located in Nepal.

March 25, 2008: DP World (DPW), the Dubai-based port operator with interest in Indian ports, has approached the Indian Railways seeking permission to set up two dry ports or inland cargo depots (ICDs) at Vadodara and Ahmedabad. It plans to invest $60 million in the venture.

March 19, 2008: The domestic cement industry during this financial year is likely to witness the third lowest production growth rate in a decade at 7 percent.

However, companies are of the opinion that it was just a temporary phase and more due to a high base effect. They said that things would be back on track with 9 to 10 percent growth in production from next year onwards.

March 19, 2008: Together with the development of 10 greenfield ports, the Gujarat government is also looking at ramping up its existing ports.

Mrach 14, 2008: The Chennai port has exceeded the previous year's total throughput of 53.41 million tons before the closing of the current fiscal. The port on March 11 handled 53.45 million tons in the current fiscal.

March 13, 2008: A reputed foreign dredging firm may be roped in for participation in the proposed dredging mega alliance, which now hasfour partners, namely the port trusts of Mumbai and Jawaharlal Nehru, Cochin Shipyard and the Shipping Corporation of India.

March 7, 2008: Tuticorin port has exceeded the Government set target in container traffic on March 3 by handling 4,09,024 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

March 6, 2008: Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway will set up two railway freight terminals in West Bengal, one each at Dankuni and Sankrail. A logistics park will be made at Dankuni to meet the projected boost in traffic at Dankuni which will be come from the extension of the eastern arm of the proposed dedicated freight corridor to Dankuni.

March 05, 2008: Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) has registered an all time high in container handling for the month of February this year by handling 40,220 TEUs (twenty feet equivalent units).

March 04, 2008: In a bid to scale up its productivity, the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) has drawn up a plan to install four state-of-the-art mobile harbour cranes at the Haldia dock.

February 29, 2008: Trucks to Hyderabad are taking a day's diversion to pick up raw cotton from the Adilabad region in Maharashtra. Bumper crop from the black soil region are being despatched through road, and truckers operating from that belt.are getting a good margin.

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February 27, 2008: Railway Minister Lalu Prasad announced that the Rs 4,510-crore Mumbai Urban Transport Project-II (MUTP-II) will be completed during the Eleventh Plan. However, this has received a sceptical response from commuters, experts and political parties alike. Moreover MUTP-I, its precursor, is already behind schedule by at least two years.

February 26, 2008: The Tuticorin Port made a record in handling cargo on February 16. It handled a total quantity of 1,13,327 tons on that day. The previous record was of 1,10,403 tons on November 17, 2007.

February 22, 2008: East Coast Railway's (ECoR) loading of domestic coal has been badly affected because of the strike by a section of the transport contractor workers employed in the Talcher mines of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL). The coal moved through road from the pitheads to the railway sidings was suspended for the fifth day on February 21. The stocks at the sidings have been exhausted.

February 21, 2008: Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) is expecting a 10 percent growth in its container traffic by the end of 2007-08 as compared to the 3,49,069 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) which it handled in 2006-07, said chairman of KoPT, A.K. Chanda.

February 21, 2008: The Railway Board is worried about the fact that the imposition of congestion surcharge on iron ore traffic has resulted into various problems, as per informed sources. A private sector steel plant is likely to go to court over the issue, which has added on to the worry.

February 20, 2008: A big bonanza is on the anvil for Mumbai residents. In order to decongest the city's crowded local train network, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad is expected to announce the second phase of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) at an estimated outlay of Rs 4,510 crore in this year's Railway Budget.

February 19, 2008Charging the Union Ministry of Shipping with "apathy" in solving long-pending problems, the Gandhidham Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has called for an indefinite strike at Kandla Port beginning March 3.

February 18, 2008: The National Steel Policy (NSP) envisages an increase in steel production to 110 million tons by 2019-20, up from the present around 40 million tons or an annual growth rate of about seven per cent.

February 18, 2008: JSW Infrastructure & Logistics has drawn up a mega plan for developing a slew of seaports, airports and shipyards in various parts of the country, some of which are already in the process of taking shape.

February 13, 2008: The Indian Railways recorded a 10 percent growth in freight loadings in January. The growth in the same month last year was over 6.48 percent.

February 04, 2008 : The West Bengal government is looking to fast track the deep sea port project with investors who have expressed a keenness to build the facility.

February 1, 2008: India Cements Ltd has purchased the first of the two ships that it had planned to buy for captive coal transportation. According to information provided by the company, it has acquired a 41,824 DWT bulk cargo carrier from Markbright Marine Ltd, Cyprus.

February 1, 2008: The cargo handled by the Mundra Port and SEZ Ltd (MPSEZ) in nine months has exceeded the cargo volumes achieved in FY 2006-07. The port handled 20.3 million tons of cargo in the initial nine months of fiscal 2007-08 compared to 19.8 million tons in the entire fiscal of 2006-07.

January 28, 2008: The Kandla port crossed 50 million tons in traffic handling a few days ago. The throughput was little less than 41 million tons in the corresponding period last year.

January 28, 2008: After a mega steel plant, Sajjan Jindal-controlled JSW group, is planning to build a deep sea port in Bengal .

January 16, 2008: Bharati Shipyard is all set to construct a greenfield modern shipyard at Usgaon near the Dabhol port in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district, industry source said.

January 15, 2008: The Kolkata Port Trust has embarked upon massive modernisation of five of its berths at Haldia dock, the accent being on mechanisation of operation to achieve higher productivity.

January 14, 2008: Bharati Shipyard Limited is at present focusing more on building rigs with its intentions to build Rs 600-crore greenfield shipyard at Usagaon in Maharashtra after venturing into the rig manufacturing sector.

January 14, 2008: Indian Railways seems to be in no mood to pay attention to demands of iron ore exporters to reduce tariffs. The exporters wrote to the Railways looking for relief from several rounds of upward revision of tariffs brought about through various surcharges.

January 9, 2008: NTPC has requested the Ministry of Railways to garner all its resources for transportation of imported coal on a regular basis. It has also asked for regular transportation of coal from North Eastern Coalfields (NEC).

January 8, 2008: During the last nine months, the Railways has earned a profit of Rs 12,000 crore, the Union minister of state for Railways, R. Velu, said.

January 4, 2008: Bidding for new port projects to be taken under the Central Government jurisdiction is likely to gain momentum with the Union Cabinet approving the model concession agreement (MCA) for private sector participation in major ports.

January 2, 2008: Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) is updating its facilities by intending to begin the construction work by March on the company's Rs 1,228-crore offshore container terminal.

December 31, 2007:

By Rakesh Dubey: Eastern Railway, which covers West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand, with a route kilometer of 2382.73 km and track kilometer of 3906.36 km, is likely to face tremendous pressure in coming years, as industrialisation activities gather pace in this part of the country.

December 31, 2007: The plan to develop a second dock arm at Haldia has been kept at abeyance by the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) as the port trust is now banking on more profitable projects like commissioning of two more riverine jetties at Haldia.

December 31, 2007: The railway ministry is planning to include a proposal for reduction of fares by four to eight per cent in its Budget for the fiscal year 2008-09.

December 31, 2007: The plan to develop a second dock arm at Haldia has been kept at abeyance by the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) as the port trust is now banking on more profitable projects like commissioning of two more riverine jetties at Haldia.

December 27, 2007:

By Partha Biswas: For a long time now, six-wheeler trucks have been a convenient mode of transportation for small and medium scale industries. These trucks were capable of carrying a load of 9 tons.

December 19, 2007:

By Rakesh Dubey: Eastern Railway, which covers West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand, with a route kilometer of 2382.73 km and track kilometer of 3906.36 km, is likely to face tremendous pressure in coming years, as industrialisation activities gather pace in this part of the country.

December 19, 2007: In order to facilitate coal procurement for its power plants, Tata Power, the country's largest private sector power company, plans to foray into the shipping and logistics business.The Tata group's power arm also plans to raise Rs 4,000 crore from the international markets.

December 18, 2007: Apeejay Shipping Ltd, part of Apeejay Surrendra Group, proposes to increase its fleet size through acquisition of new builds.

December 13, 2007: The commercial road transport sector in the country, which is highly unorganised at present, is likely to witness reforms with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways forming a committee to firm up the rules for the Carriage by Road Act.

December 12, 2007: Indian Railways, Chhattisgarh State Government, NMDC and SAIL today signed an MoU to construct a 235-km rail link from Dalli-Rajhara to Jagdalpur via Rowghat. The rail link, a project envisaged in 1995-96 rail budget, would provide connectivity to both Rowghat and Bailadila iron ore mines.

December 12, 2007: Indian Railways, SAIL, NMDC and the state govt have signed an MoU for a 235-km broad-gauge line.

December 11, 2007: Essar Shipping & Logistics controlled by Essar Shipping, has signed a deal to build six bulk carrier at STX (Dalian) Shipbuilding in China. The estimated cost of each vessel is $65 million, making it a $390-million deal.

December 11, 2007: Union minister for shipping, road transport and highways T R Baalu said the government will actively consider a proposal for setting up a ship dock at Sagar Island - one of the largest islands in the Sunderban delta in the Bay of Bengal about 150 km to the south of Kolkata.

December 11, 2007: Mr T.R. Baalu, Union Shipping Minister, indicated here on Monday that the Government might be required to examine alternative model for inviting bids for the deep-sea port project proposed to be implemented off West Bengal coast.

December 10, 2007: Essar Shipping & Logistics (ESLL) has placed an order with China's STX (Dalian) Shipbuilding Company for six Mini Cape bulk carriers, with an option to acquire three more such vessels. The vessels, to be built at an estimated cost of $65 million each, totaling $390 million, will be delivered between July 2011 and January 2012.

December 6, 2007: Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) has decided to develop a port-based special economic zone/export processing zone on about 1,200 hectares of surplus land lying with the trust.

December 5, 2007: The Cochin Port plans to increase its revenue from other cargo operations, especially liquefied natural gas, after state-run BPCL's Kochi refinery starts handling its imported crude oil at its own facility. The port is presently charging Rs 65 per tonne as wharfage for crude oil and other products at the port and handles 10 million tonnes of cargo, port chairman N Ramachandran said.

December 5, 2007: India's biggest private sector shipbuilder ABG Shipyard Ltd plans to invest Rs1,300-1,400 crore to expand capacity to meet the rising global demand for building large cargo carrying ships.

December 5, 2007: The Shipping Ministry has decided to accept Capt Mohan Committee's recommendation for a dedicated container terminal, to be complete with three berths and two barge jetties, at Diamond Harbour on the Hooghly river, within the jurisdiction of Kolkata Port Trust. The capacity of the terminal will be one million TEUs annually.

December 4, 2007: South Korean shipbuilder STX Shipbuilding Co. Ltd has won orders to build 14 new ships, worth more than $750 million (about Rs2977.5 crore), from Indian shipowners who are buying new cargo carriers to cash in on the growing global demand for carrying raw materials such as steel, iron ore and coal.

December 3, 2007: The Netherlands based International Ship Recycling Association (ISRA) wants to promote exchange of knowledge, experience to conduct ship dismantling in an environmentally friendly way all over the world. ISRA wants that the ship braking facilities must be certified to the latest international standards.

December 3, 2007: India ranks 39th in a World Bank Survey with the world's first logistics performance index (LPI), nine points below that of China.

December 3, 2007: South Korean shipbuilder STX Shipbuilding Co. Ltd has won orders to build 14 new ships, worth more than $750 million (about Rs2977.5 crore), from Indian shipowners who are buying new cargo carriers to cash in on the growing global demand for carrying raw materials such as steel, iron ore and coal.

December 3, 2007: With the objective of turning Kerala into a major harbour state, a comprehensive policy has been been evolved to develop six of the 17 ports in the state, works for which would be completed in a time bound manner, Harbour Development Minister M Vijayakumar said on Sunday.

December 3, 2007: Scarcity of bulk carriers and offshore supply vessel in the global market has forced several Indian companies to look at setting up large shipbuilding yards in the country at a total investment of Rs 10,000 crore.

November 30, 2007: The Tuticorin port handled 791 ships between April and September, out of which only 61 would have required the proposed Sethusamudram Ship Canal. Thus, only 13 percent of the total of ships using the Bay of Bengal would have needed the canal in the six-month period.

November 27, 2007: Global makers of ship parts and materials plan to set up factories in India to tap rising demand for their products as the country ramps up its shipbuilding capabilities to cash in on the global boom in the business.

November 23, 2007: New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT), in association with Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry, will conduct a trade meet at Bangalore on November 24. Mr P. Tamilvanan, NMPT Chairman, said that the purpose of the meet is to interact with importers and exporters.

November 22, 2007: Tuticorin Port handled a record cargo of 1,10,403 tonnes in a single day on November 17.

November 22, 2007: Importers and exporters using the country's first private sector port Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal (NSICT) paid around 80 per cent extra during the period 2002-05, according to a study by Bharat Salhotra which has been hosted on the Planning Commission site - though the site says the study does not represent the Planning Commission's views, the author gratefully acknowledges Gajendra Haldea of the Planning Commission for key insights and valuable inputs

November 21, 2007: Between April and October this year, South Eastern Railway (SER) carried approximately 26 million tonnes (mt) of parcels as compared to 16 mt in the same period last year, thus registering 62.5 per cent growth.

November 20, 2007: Despite not-so-satisfactory performance in the first half, the Visakhapatnam Port Trust, according to its Chairman, Mr K. Ratna Kishore, is hopeful of achieving the targeted throughput of 64 million tonnes (mt), as set by the Shipping Ministry, by March 2008 and thus retaining the number one position among the major ports.

November 20, 2007: Adani Logistics, which recently launched container train operations from its inland container depot (ICD) near Gurgaon to Mundra port, is moving cars from Maruti Suzuki India's Gurgaon manufacturing plant. The cars are subsequently moved to Kochi using Shreyas Shipping Corporation's coastal shipping service.

November 19, 2007: The West Bengal government is likely to finalise the agreement for an all-weather port at Kulpi, about 78 km from Kolkata in South 24 Parganas district, by January 2008.

November 16, 2007: The delay in setting up of the Petronet LNG Ltd (PLL) terminal here, which was proposed to be established along with its Dahej terminal in Gujarat in 1999 -2000, has pushed up the cost by 30-40 per cent now from that of Dahej's first-phase expenses.

November 16, 2007: Buoyed by the surge in demand for new ships globally, Indian shipyards are ramping up investments to expand capacities.

November 16, 2007: When the Rs 8,000-crore Krishnapatnam port in Nellore district is completed fully in 2011-12, it is going to be a major container hub, where the big mother ships could anchor, offload their cargo onto smaller ships.

November 15, 2007: Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) is planning to invest Rs 7,000 crore in the next five years for developing infrastructure.

November 15, 2007: A high-powered committee has recommended several steps for handling the growing container traffic at Kolkata and Haldia that include procuring more container handling equipment and setting up a Greenfield container terminal at Diamond Harbour.

November 15, 2007: Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) is looking for overseas contracts for development and management of port terminals.

November 15, 2007: The high powered committee constituted by the Shipping Ministry under Capt P V K Mohan as chairman to look into the problems associated with the container traffic of Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) at Kolkata and Haldia docks and new infrastructure, has submitted its report to Union shipping minister T R Baalu, who assured necessary action for development of infrastructure to meet the rising demand from users, and also appointment of consultant to prepare a detailed project report and manage the tender for development of a dedicated container terminal at Diamond Harbour.

November 14, 2007: A day after one of the most successful bandhs ever over Nandigram, it's business as usual in West Bengal. Texmaco, a K K Birla group company, signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the United Group, a $4 billion Australian infrastructure and industrial services company, for building joint facilities in the state.

November 13, 2007: The Gangavaram Port Ltd (GPL) is being set up by D.V.S. Raju of Satyam Computers fame at Gangavaram, about 15 kilometres from the Visakhapatnam Port.

November 13, 2007: While we focus on Indian ports, we can take a look at the working of two of the most important ports of the world as far as coal movement is concerned. This will give us greater perspective into the working of ports around the world.

November 13, 2007: Mundra Port, a unit of the diversified Adani Group, is one of India's most modern high tech ports equipped with the latest facilities and it has extensive plans to improve and expand facilities in the near future. The port plans to increase its material handling capacity to 120 million tons per annum (mtpa) from 10 mtpa, including 40 mtpa of coal handling capacity.

November 13, 2007: New Mangalore Port, the only major port of Karnataka, registered more than 100 percent rise in coal handling in 2006-07 compared with the previous year and the figure is likely to remain high even in the current year, as more and more power companies import coal from South Africa.

November 13, 2007: While Indian industry is still hoping for a major shift in infrastructure development while we are well into the 21st century, policymakers will have to deal with a 19th century infrastructure crisis - a serious shortage of rail capacity.

November 13, 2007: Come 2008 and the first phase of the modern, deep water and high productivity Krishnapatnam Port, being set up by Krishnapatnam Port Company (KPCL) on a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) basis for 50 years at a cost of Rs 1000 crore, will be ready for operation.

November 13, 2007: Ennore is situated on the Coromandal coast about 24km north of Chennai Port along the coast line, in the State of Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th major port in India and the first corporatised major port in India.

November 13, 2007: Tuticorin Port in south India, which is the only port that offers direct feeder services from India to the US, is planning to increase draught to attract bigger container vessels. At the same time, it is planning to set up a coal berth and shipbuilding yard.

November 13, 2007: Richards Bay is South Africa's premier bulk port and the most modern. Built in 1976 for the export of coal, it has since expanded into other bulk and breakbulk cargoes. Experts say that it is all set to replace Durban Port as the largest in the country.

November 13, 2007: The Vizag Port is planning to spend Rs 3360 crore on development projects to increase its capacity by 45 million tons to meet the projected traffic of 80 million tons per annum by 2012-13.

November 13, 2007: The 24-hour bandh, called by the Opposition in West Bengal on Monday to protest against the bloodshed at Nandigaram, did not hit the cargo handling work of Kolkata port (including Haldia) much, according to sources.

November 13, 2007: The Tuticorin Port Trust has crossed the 12-million-tonne mark of cargo handling.

November 13, 2007: The Indian Railways are formulating a liberal wagon leasing policy to attract global transportation majors. The policy, to be announced this year, aims at enabling wagon manufacturers to invest in general purpose wagons as well as special kin d of wagons and allow them to run it on Indian Railway system.

November 12,2007: That widely varying tariffs are levied for container handling at various Indian ports has been an issue bothering the shipping trade. The Planning Commission has taken serious note of this stating that "it would be better to substitute the present arrangement by notifying a price cap for all ports or a group of ports."

November 09, 2007: Buoyed by the economic boom and the massive investment on infrastructure, the logistics market in the country is set to double by 2012.

November 09, 2007: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today gave its approval for development of an offshore container (OCT) terminal on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis at Mumbai Port.

November 8, 2007: While the capital dredging requirement in the country is set for a big jump, there are not many dredging firms around to cash in on the projected boom in the dredging sector, according to informed sources.

November 8, 2007: The IPO of the Adani group-promoted Mundra Port and SEZ Ltd (MPSEZL), the first by any Indian port, got subscribed by 116 times, indicating investor's confidence in the ports sector. The issue opened on November 1 and closed on Wednesday. The issue has received investment commitments to the tune of Rs 2,00,000 crore.

November 8, 2007: The Tamil Nadu Government has approved in-principle the creation of a Chennai Metro Rail system at a cost of Rs 9,757 crore.

November 7, 2007: Seaways Shipping Limited (SSL), the flagship company of the Hyderabad-based Seaways Group is in the process of negotiations with the Kolkata Port Trust( KoPT) authorities for setting up a container freight station, preferably near the port.

November 7, 2007: The Gangavaram port, a public-private partnership initiative, is likely to commence operations from April next year.

November 7, 2007: Anil Ambani-promoted Reliance Energy is understood to have emerged as the highest bidder for an estimated Rs 4,000-crore project for laying a metro line connecting the national capital's international airport and the New Delhi railway station.

November 7, 2007: Seaways Shipping Limited (SSL), the flagship company of the Hyderabad-based Seaways Group is in the process of negotiations with the Kolkata Port Trust( KoPT) authorities for setting up a container freight station, preferably near the port.

November 7, 2007: The Gangavaram port, a public-private partnership initiative, is likely commence operations from April next year.

November 5, 2007: Danish shipping giant Maersk proposes to construct an inland container depot (ICD) near Chittagong port in a bid to ease congestion in Bangladesh's biggest port.

November 5, 2007: ABG Shipyard, the largest private shipbuilder in the country, has decided to set up a big shipyard on the east coast. ABG is likely to spend over Rs 1,000 crore for the project.

November 5, 2007: The Kakinada special economic zone (KSEZ) will soon have an exclusive Rs 2,000-crore deep-water port for importing and exporting petroleum, biotech, agricultural and other products.

November 5, 2007: The Tata group of companies, one of the largest business conglomerates, with total revenues of more than $22 billion (Rs 86,680 crore), is eyeing the proposed Rs 50,000 crore dedicated freight corridor project by the Indian Railways.

November 2, 2007: The port of Paradip is the primary seaport in the Indian state of Orissa. The port handled 33.11 million tons of cargo in 2005-06, out of which 12.53 million tons was thermal coal and 10,273,000 tons was iron ore. The port is located on an artificial harbour which accepts sea traffic via man made lagoons.

November 2, 2007: The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) plans to invest over Rs 1000 crore during the Eleventh Plan on modernisation and renovation as part of its strategy to reduce waiting of ships inside or outside port areas.

November 2, 2007: Marmugao is one of the oldest ports located on the western coast of India and it accounts for nearly 32 percent of India's total iron ore export. With the saturation of Mumbai and Nhava Sheva ports, Marmugao is ready to become the major transit point for trade in goods originating from or destined for Central and North Central India.

November 2, 2007:

By Rajkumar Mitra: The Kolkata Dock, which was under pressure two years ago to attract sufficient cargo, aims to grow by 25 percent in volume in the current financial year compared to its performance last year.

November 2, 2007: India has 12 major ports controlled by the Central Government and 187 minor ports controlled by state governments along its 7,517-km long coastline, plus a few private ports like Pipava and Mundra.

November 2, 2007: Chennai Port is contemplating to carry out at least six major projects at a cost of nearly Rs 1800 crore under the National Maritime Development scheme. The projects include setting up a second container terminal for handling an additional 8 lakh TEUs per annum.

November 2, 2007: To meet the growing requirements of the trade, the Cochin Port Trust has chalked out an ambitious plan for replacement and renewal of old structures in berths as well as to maintain a uniform draught of 12.5 metres in all its berths.

November 1, 2007: TS Lines, a major operator in the intra-Asia trade providing regular weekly sailings among countries such as Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam, has added to its services to and from the Indian subcontinent and has accordingly joined hands with Evergreen, Yang Ming, STX Pan Ocean and Samudera Shipping to launch a new China-India service, CSI (China Straits India) service.

November 1, 2007: Larsen and Tubro and Tatas are in the race to set up a rail wheel factory in Chhapra on a public private sector partnership basis with the Indian Railways.

October 30, 2007: In order to facilitate the exporters of the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh region, Container Corporation of India(Concor) will develop an inland container depot (ICD) at Baddi in Himachal Pradesh.

October 29, 2007: Prospects are brightening for Kochi's emergence as an International Maritime Hub with work on the Vallarpadom International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT), gaining momentum. It is against this backdrop that Kerala's first Inland Container Freight Station in the private sector has come up at Eloor near Kochi, close to the National Highway and main national rail network.

October 29, 2007: Marg Constructions Ltd and Pembinaan Redzai Sdn Bhd, Malaysia, are to promote a joint venture company to manage the Karaikal Port being set up by Karaikal Port Pvt Ltd (KPPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Marg Constructions.

October 27, 2007: Larsen & Toubro, the country's largest engineering and construction company, has decided to build two new ports at a combined cost of Rs 3,000 crore, and its third shipyard in the country.

October 26, 2007: Worlds Window Infrastructure and Logistics, which operates an inland container depot at Loni near Delhi, plans to set up four or five such depots over the next year.

October 23, 2007: Indian Railways is already self-sufficient in the production of locomotives, passenger coaches and goods wagons.

October 22, 2007: Adani group-promoted Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone Ltd (MPSEZL) is planning to raise Rs 1,500 crore through an initial public offer to part fund the development of the port.

October 17, 2007: Transafe Services Limited (TSL), formerly Indian Container Leasing Company Limited and a domestic container movement and equipment leasing company, would expand capacity to around 6,000 containers per month to raise turnover to Rs 600-700 crore by 2010.

October 17, 2007: Visakhapatnam Port registered about 17 per cent growth in cargo handling during the first half of the current fiscal as compared with the corresponding period last year.

October 17, 2007: Visakhapatnam Port registered about 17 per cent growth in cargo handling during the first half of the current fiscal as compared with the corresponding period last year.

October 15, 2007: The shipping industry seems to be divided on the economic benefits of the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project even as environment, security and political concerns continue to plague the project.

October 12, 2007:

By Arnab Mallick: Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone Ltd (MPSEZ), a unit of the diversified Adani Group, is gearing up to build the world's biggest coal handling receiving terminal to cater to the massive needs of upcoming power plants in Mundra.

October 11, 2007: The Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting on Wednesday to decide the fate of Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL) remained inconclusive. However, indications are that that the GoM is more tilted towards the Defence Ministry's interests, which is eyeing HSL to meet the Indian Navy's requirements.

October 11, 2007: The high-level official committee that reviewed the security preparedness of ports, shipyards and other allied installations in the country has proposed the establishment of an apex agency for regulation of security issues on the lines the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security.

October 11, 2007: South Eastern Railway achieved its best-ever freight earning in the first half of 2007-08 when it earned Rs 2,475 crore, which is 8.3 per cent more than in the previous year.

October 11, 2007: Tata Steel is keen to have its own jetty on the river front at Haldia.

October 10, 2007: Shreyas Shipping & Logistics Ltd has announced that with an intention to meet the requirements of its increasing logistics operations, the Company has decided to augment its fleet strength.

October 11, 2007: Hong Kong-based Eurasia Ship Management Company is looking for office space in Kolkata to expand its operation in the eastern region of the country.

October 10, 2007: Blue Dart Express Ltd, South Asia's premier integrated express courier and package distribution company, has won the 'Cargo operator of the year (cargo airline) award, while Safexpress was adjudged as 'Express Logistics Provider of the Year 2007 at the express, logistics and supply chain conclave. The awards were instituted by IndiaTimes Mindscape along with the Business India group.

October 10, 2007: The ownership of Visakhapatnam-based Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL), the largest public sector shipyard, is likely to be transferred from the Ministry of Shipping to the Defence Ministry. A Group of Ministers (GoM), which is evaluating HSL's restructuring proposal, is likely to take this view, it appears.

October 10, 2007: The high-powered committee constituted by the Ministry of Shipping under the Chairmanship of Capt P.V.K. Mohan, Member, National Shipping Board, to examine how to step up container traffic at the Kolkata port, will submit its report to the Government shortly.

October 10, 2007: With the aim of encouraging public-private partnerships (PPP) in captive facilities for port-based activities, the shipping ministry is in the process of drafting a policy defining the kind of activities that would be permitted and the revenue sharing model for them.

October 10, 2007: Seaways Shipping Ltd, a leading Indian maritime operator headquartered in Hyderabad, has chalked out an expansion plan involving a capital expenditure of Rs700 crore over the next two-three years, according to the company's chairman and managing director P.V.K. Mohan.

October 10, 2007: In a significant development, India and Myanmar will be signing a formal agreement on the Kaladan sea port project in just a few weeks, signalling a major coup for India.

October 10, 2007: The Punjab government today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for starting metro rail services in Ludhiana. Also, a similar rail system is being proposed for Amritsar and Mohali too.

October 10,2007: The high-powered committee constituted by the Ministry of Shipping under the Chairmanship of Capt P.V.K. Mohan, Member, National Shipping Board, to examine how to step up container traffic at the Kolkata port, will submit its report to the Government shortly.

October 8, 2007: The dedicated freight corridor (DFC) project of the railways has hit an obstacle for problems in land acquisition, cost escalation and concern over technology.

October 8, 2007: Paradip Port Trust Ltd, the primary sea port on the eastern coast of India, has chalked out a Rs 1087.44-crore capacity expansion plan, including construction of a deep draught at the existing dock system for handling iron ore and coal.

October 8, 2007: The development of the $1.3-billion Rewas port has hit a roadblock. The state government has not cleared the transfer of the notified land to the port company, owned by the Reliance group. This has led to a delay in the proposed dredging of the channel and port.

October 8, 2007: Mumbai-based Garware Offshore Services Ltd, a company that offers ships for oil and gas exploration activities, plans to enter the shipbuilding business by setting up an exclusive facility for making offshore support vessels.

October 8, 2007: The 270-km long National Highway 215, connecting Keonjhar, a major iron ore belt in Orissa, with Panikuili on the National Highway 5 that connects Kolkata with Chennai, is in a terrible shape.

October 6, 2007: Taxability of foreign shipping companies (FSC) in India has, traditionally, been a subject matter of judicial analysis.

October 6, 2007: Twelve major ports recorded a 14 per cent growth in cargo handling at 244 million tonnes in the six months to September, over same period last year, but they missed the Shipping Ministry's target of 252 million tonnes.

October 4, 2007: The report on port connectivity, as prepared by a private consultancy firm on the proposal for doubling of railway line between Haldia dock and Rajgoda (54 km), has evoked sharp reaction from the authorities of Kolkata Port Trust.

October 3, 2007: In a bid to grow beyond handling just in-house jobs and to take up more external or merchant business, the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) has embarked on a programme to refit and revive its dry docks.

October 3, 2007: Eurasia, a third-party ship management firm functioning out of Hong Kong, put forward a proposition to expand its operations in India. It has opened its first office in Kolkata that is the fourth in India.

October 1, 2007: Ramco Systems, which would implement its logistics software application for Adani Logistics, expects a growth in earnings by 60 percent from logistics business in India.

October 1, 2007: Memoranda of understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 3,515 crore were signed yesterday between the state government and a few national ship-building companies on the concluding day of the two-day meet 'Ship-building opportunities in Gujarat' organised by the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB).

October 1, 2007: Jindal Shipyards, a part of the OP Jindal group, is planning to set up the country's first maritime technology park, to be called India Maritime Technology Park. The company is planning to rope in Korean Maritime Consultants (Komac), known as the father of the Korean shipbuilding industry, for the project.

October 1, 2007: Jindal Shipyards, a part of the OP Jindal group, is planning to set up the country's first maritime technology park, to be called India Maritime Technology Park. The company is planning to rope in Korean Maritime Consultants (Komac), known as the father of the Korean shipbuilding industry, for the project.

September 28, 2007: In a bid to facilitate faster evacuation of containers and shore up its container traffic, Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) is negotiating with a host of private entrepreneurs for setting up two to three more container stations.

September 28, 2007: Container traffic between Chennai and China is likely to double with the launch of a direct container mainline service connecting the city with North China ports.

September 27, 2007: Transafe Services Limited, formerly Indian Container Leasing Company Limited, a player in domestic container movement and equipment leasing, has announced that it will set up three new manufacturing units for creative containers by the year-end.

September 27, 2007: Bharati Shipyard and the Apeejay Surendra group have proposed to set up a ship manufacturing unit in Orissa. Dhamara in Bhadrakh district has been decided as the location for the project by the company.

September 26, 2007: Diversified firm Balmer Lawrie & Co Ltd is ready to sell its 24,000 square feet, tea-blending unit in the United Kingdom and has hired SBI Capital Markets Ltd as advisor for the purpose. The company is also searching to acquire a logistics company. According to the managing director of Balmer Lawrie & Co Ltd, S.K. Mukherjee, the company is aiming at a fast completion.

September 26, 2007: Plans are afoot for reviving the proposal to set up a port in Kulpi in South 24 Paraganas district of West Bengal.

September 26, 2007: Essar Shipping & Logistics (ESLL) has placed an order with ABG Shipyard, for six Supramax bulk carriers. The vessels, to be built at an estimated cost of $35 million each, totaling $210 million, will be delivered between December 2009 and March 2011.

September 26, 2007: A consultant hired by the shipping industry has recommended that shipbuilders in the country get a 10-year extension of a lucrative 30% subsidy scheme and their business be treated as an infrastructure activity, making it eligible for incentives such as tax holidays.

September 26, 2007: After successfully testing e-tendering process in a small way, the South Central Railway (SCR) has announced the launch of a dedicated Web site to host e-tenders for works in the zone.

September 26, 2007: The government on Tuesday approved an amount of Rs 49.07 crore for strengthening and widening of various highway stretches in Gujarat.

September 25, 2007: Aegis Logistics Ltd plans to expand and acquire port handling capacity and bid for contracts to operate and maintain terminals of oil marketing firms, a top official said on Tuesday.

September 25, 2007: Incessant rain in the past few days have thrown operations at Kolkata and Paradip ports totally out of gear. The loading and movement of freight trains under South Eastern Railway (SER) and East Coast Railway (ECoR) has been badly hit.

September 25, 2007: Heavy rains as well as the agitation taken up by the Maoists have marginally affected the movement of iron ore for the past few days on the Kirandul-Kothavalasa line between Kirandul and Jadalpur.

September 25, 2007: The Essar Group would be acquiring six supramax bulk carriers at an investment of $210 million (Rs 840 crore).

September 25, 2007: The Kandla Port has claimed another record by handling 5.07 million metric tonne of cargo last month, which is the highest monthly throughput achieved among all major ports of India.

September 25, 2007: Worried over tardy progress of its Rs 52,000- crore greenfield project in Orissa, South Korean steel giant Posco would begin construction of a captive port a year before actual work on its 12- milliontonne steel plant begins in 2009, even as it was optimistic of tiding over opposition by villagers to the project.

September 25, 2007: Coal and iron ore shipping rates may extend gains to records this week on rising demand to transport raw materials across the Pacific and the Atlantic amid a limited supply of vessels.

September 25, 2007: Reliance Logistics Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd, on Monday entered into a 51:49 joint venture with state-owned Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) Ltd to form a joint venture company, Infinite Logistics Ltd, a company release said.

September 24, 2007: The Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR) will operate another container train for Agra's exporters. It has also agreed to provide a number of other concessions to new exporters.

September 24, 2007: The special plenary session of CII-Logistics 2007 Summit held in Chennai on September 20, 2007, made a strong case for obtaining industry status for the logistics sector and its strategic importance for enhancing India's competitiveness in global trade. The CEOs panel discussion, which followed, highlighted the issues faced by the sector and the need to address inefficiencies and improve competitiveness.

R Narayanan, director - KPMG Advisory Services, said, "Although the sector is growing in value as well as in volume terms leading to sustainable opportunities in the logistics space, India's logistics cost is among the highest in the world - estimated to cost almost 13 per cent of its GDP."

September 24, 2007: Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong (in that order) continue to be three largest container handling ports of the world.

September 24, 2007: There is a critical need for manpower development in logistic sector, which is undergoing rapid evolution, both in terms of scale and scope of services, thanks to the healthy economic growth amply supported by robust Indian industry.

September 23, 2007: The Rs 2,500-crore Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project will be completed as per schedule by December 2008, according to the Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Mr T.R. Baalu.

September 23, 2007: Bracing to carry more freight and face competition from road and air carriers, Indian Railways will soon set up several integrated logistic parks on unused land across the country.

September 22, 2007: The Ennore container terminal project has been approved, a senior Government official said here. The total investment for the project will be Rs 1,300 crore.

September 21, 2007: Indian Railways plans to hike capacity and will invest around Rs 2,50,000 crore to achieve a freight traffic of 1150 million tons by the end of the Eleventh Plan, according to member (traffic) Railway Board, V. N. Mathur.

September 21, 2007: The South-Eastern Railway (SER) has decided to upgrade the 44-km Bhojudih-Mohuda-Gomoh feeder route in its Adra division, relying on the Delhi-Howrah freight corridor project to shore up its freight volume.

September 20, 2007: The Rs 2,000-crore Somani Group has signed an MoU with ThyssenKrupp GfT Gleistechnik, to form a techno-commercial joint venture for modernisation, upgradation and expansion plans of Indian Railways.

September 19, 2007: The Indian logistics sector of Rs 4 trillion, though it is growing at a very fast pace, is facing shortage in skilled manpower, a report said.

September 19, 2007: The West Bengal Government has before it for consideration two proposals from the private sector for construction of shipyards in the State.

September 18, 2007: In its bid to improve the productivity of its own railway systems within both the Kolkata Dock System (KDS) and the Haldia dock, the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) has asked Rites Ltd to undertake a thorough study of the systems and suggest necessary measures.

September 18, 2007: The Hassan-Mangalore National Highway (No 48) will soon be upgraded into a four-lane road with financial assistance from the Centre. At present, the road is a two-lane highway at some stretches and wider on other segments since it passes through the Western Ghats.

September 18: GE may join hands with Reliance Retail and Bharti-Wal-Mart for providing logistic support to their retail network across the country. It is in talks with the two retail biggies for JVs through proposed SPVs. The support will include cold chain management for the movement of perishable commodities. GE is already Wal-Mart's logistics partner in the US and Europe.

September 17, 2007: Reliance Logistics Ltd (RLL) plans to set up logistics parks within all the upcoming special economic zones (SEZs) being established by the Reliance Industries group.

September 17: Providing some relief to exporters who have been hit by the rising rupee, the finance ministry Monday decided to refund the service tax they paid for port, road transport and rail services.

September 17, 2007: The movement of iron ore rakes are being restricted by railways to Paradip port over the past one week due to breakdown of the port's mechanized iron ore managing plant.

September 17, 2007: New Mangalore Port seems to betting big on its infrastructure and railway connectivity to hinterland for boosting the growth of iron ore cargo traffic.

September 17, 2007: Private players would contribute a bulk of the investment for expanding capacity at the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) by 25-30 million ton in the next 5 years.

September 17, 2007: The Railways will soon invite private players to set up integrated logistics parks on unused railway land, which is about 10,000 acres.

September 16, 2007: The Calcutta Port Trust, which faces the risk of losing a significant volume of oil cargo to Paradip port, plans to hike capacity at Haldia by more than 50 per cent.

September 14, 2007: The shipping fraternity in Kochi port are keeping their fingers crossed over the delay in reviving the 24x7 work hours in the port following the boycott of trade unions from the system on account of a labour dispute with the container terminal operator.

September 14, 2007: Private sector ship builder ABG Shipyard today said it will revive Western India Shipyard Ltd (WISL) for which a scheme of arrangement has been approved.

September 14, 2007: Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone Ltd (MPSEZ), a unit of the diversified Adani Group, is awaiting regulatory clearance to take over the rights to develop a Rs1,500 crore new port at Dholera, in Gujarat, which was originally awarded to the JK Group, a top official has said.

September 14, 2007: The Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Group is set to make a splash in shipbuilding and dredging with two separate companies. Sources said the petroleum-to-retail giant is expected to invest around $1 billion each in two companies and has begun talks with international majors for a strategic tie-up for the dredging business. This $2-billion investment is over and above the $1.3-billion investment committed for the Rewas Port, off Navi Mumbai.

September 14, 2007: August has been a good month for Indian Railways as it registered a 11.73 per cent growth and over the 55.34 million tonne (MT) traffic moved in August 2006.

September 13, 2007: The public sector Cochin Shipyard Ltd has achieved high performance during the financial year 2006-07 with income soaring 200 per cent and profit after tax 300 per cent as compared to 2005-06.

September 13, 2007: Irked at shipping lines forming cartels to fix freight rates and other charges, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has asked the Shipping Ministry to take steps to curb such practices to safeguard the interests of Indian exporters.

September 13, 2007: Indian Railways' registered a ten per cent growth in freight earnings for the first five months this fiscal touching Rs 18,193.02 crore compared to the same period last fiscal.

September 12, 2007: With Mormugao port (Goa), which routes close to 28 per cent of the country' s total iron ore exports (91.5 million tonnes), crippled by technical snags, miners and traders are flocking to nearby ports in Karnataka to ensure uninterrupted supply to overseas customers, mostly Chinese.

September 12, 2007: Gains in charter rates for ships that transport dry goods in bulk including coal and iron ore may be capped by shorter delays at ports and concerns over a faltering US economy.

September 12, 2007: The Supreme Court today allowed the Anil Ambani-controlled Reliance Energy (REL) to bid for the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link Project, for which elder brother Mukesh Ambani's Sea King Infrastructure was the front-runner.

September 12, 2007: Kolkata Port Trust(KoPT) has announced that it would complete the construction of its second berth at Haldia in October this year.

September 12, 2007: In a move that can boost timber imports into the state, the Kolkata Port Trust(KoPT) has announced that it would allow private operators to purchase equipment like hydraulic grabs and specially designed loaders and use them at the Kolkata Dock System(KDS).

September 12, 2007: Tuticorin Port plans a major expansion involving investments of around Rs 5,310 crore to create additional capacity and infrastructure on the back of growing industrial activity and meeting capacity demands from the trade.

September 12, 2007: The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the consortium of Reliance Energy Ltd (REL) of Anil Ambani group and Hyundai Engineering Construction Co (HDEC) to submit its bid for the Rs 2,600-crore sea link project between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

September 12, 2007: The oil marketing companies seem to be eyeing a pie of Indian Railways' Rs 20,153-crore cash surplus.

September 12, 2007: French railway SNCF has snatched the initiative from the Japanese by submitting a proposal with the railway ministry for conducting a feasibility study for the 500-km high-speed rail corridor on the Delhi-Amritsar route.

September 11, 2007: Reliance Industries is looking at investing around Rs 10,000 crore in the Positra port and special economic zone (SEZ) project.

September 11, 2007: The National Highway Authority of India would invest Rs 50,000 crore in the North-East region in the 11th Five Year Plan for increased connectivity with all state capitals.

September 11, 2007: The railway ministry is planning to set up around 20 logistics parks across the country, based on the public private partnership (PPP) model. The approximate cost of setting up these parks would come to around Rs 10,000 crore.

September 7, 2007: Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) has invited bids for acquiring two container vessels with 5,000 TEU (twenty feet equivalent unit) capacity. The last date for submitting technical bids is October 12. SCI has already been given a Cabinet approval to procure these vessels.

September 7, 2007: Shipbuilders such as Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Bharti Shipyard may get a shot in the arm with the ministry of shipping, road transport and highways planning to extend the 30% subsidy to shipbuilding companies by five years.

September 6, 2007: Shipbuilding, especially naval shipbuilding, which enjoys a host of tax concessions and subsidies, is likely to lose all its privileges if the Ministry of Finance has its way and withdraws tax exemptions, the Defence Standing Committee was told by the government.

September 6, 2007: At a time when iron ore export from India is booming, mining companies are having to bear the cost of congestion at Goa's Mormugao port, which is the main facility for shipping the mineral abroad.

September 5, 2007: Spot rubber prices witnessed a mixed trend on Tuesday. RSS 4 moved down to Rs 88 from Rs Rs 88.50 and Rs 89.50 a kg respectively at Kottayam and Kochi on buyer resistance.

September 5, 2007: Kolkata Dock System (KDS), one of the two dock systems of Kolkata port, has posted an impressive growth in container throughput, according to a release issued by the port.

September 5, 2007: The Reliance group-owned Rewas Port is ready for a mega makeover. The group has drawn up a $1.3-billion investment plan to convert the minor port, only a few nautical miles away from Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) and Mumbai Port, into one of the leading ports in the country.

September 5, 2007: Indian Railways is planning to increase the average speed of freight trains. Currently, the average speed per hour is approximately 25 km per hour. "Even if the average speed is stepped up only by five km per hour, we'll consider it an achievement considering the current state of our infrastructure," said sources from the Railways.

September 4, 2007: To facilitate greater hinterland connectivity to minor ports, the railway ministry has started work on providing broad gauge connectivity to four such ports in Gujarat and one in Andhra Pradesh.

September 3, 2007: The cost of hiring ships to transport dry goods such as iron ore, coal and grains rose to a record for a third day and may extend gains next week on expectation of rising Chinese demand.

September 3, 2007: Following requests from prospective bidders, Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) has decided to extend the last date for bid submission for acquisition of four Panamax size bulk carriers.

September 3, 2007: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has signed an agreement with Jaiprakash & Associates for widening a 28.69 kilometre highway spread across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

September 2, 2007: The non-functional Kuarmunda railway station linking Kolkata to Mumbai through a route across Rourkela is being revived. This is part of a cluster development initiative (CDI) taken up by 42 sponge iron units surrounding Rourkela.

September 1, 2007: The non-functional Kuarmunda railway station linking Kolkata to Mumbai through a route across Rourkela is being revived. This is part of a cluster development initiative (CDI) taken up by 42 sponge iron units surrounding Rourkela.

August 31, 2007: The Indian Railways is planning a windmill project to generate 10 MW power near Chennai.

August 31, 2007: The controversy over the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project reached another flashpoint on Thursday as the State Cabinet decided to call global tenders to take over the ongoing project.

August 30, 2007: Pointing out that India is likely to handle 21 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers by 2015-16, IIM Ahmedabad's Professor G. Raghuram suggested developing ports on a "hub" and "feeder" strategy.

August 29, 2007: Sical Logistics will soon foray into freight forwarding and is open to acquiring a company in this sector, according to its Managing Director and Group CEO, Mr Sudhir Rangnekar.

August 29, 2007: Following a change in arrangement for maintenance of tank wagons, owned jointly by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and Indian Railways, the Railways has decided to withdraw a four percent freight rebate that it extends for such wagons used for transporting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

August 29, 2007: The Adani Group would invest nearly Rs 1,260 crore to operate container trains, for which it has obtained a licence from the Railways, and establish rail-linked inland container depots (ICDs) at 10 places across the country for domestic and international trade.

August 29, 2007: The government may ask the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to fund projects through market borrowings by leveraging the fuel cess money. The mechanism -- mooted by the ministry of shipping, road transport & highways -- is based on the suggestion of the core group for financing National Highway Development Projects (NHDP).

August 28, 2007: Seaways Shipping has embarked on an expansion drive covering fleet and new destinations at an investment of about Rs 250 crore during the current fiscal.

August 28, 2007: The Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Mr T.R. Baalu, has said that the new shipping policy will be announced shortly and is awaiting Cabinet nod.

August 28, 2007: With a view to constructing modern rail tunnels with ventilation, monitoring device, control room for safe operation in the challenging terrain between Udhampur to Baramula in Jammu and Kashmir, the Ministry of Railways has decided to constitute a committee to formulate policy guidelines.

August 27, 2007: Tata Steel plans to set up a second greenfield airport on the outskirts of Jamshedpur to enable airlines operate medium and high capacity Boeing and Airbus aircraft to the steel city. At present, the township has an aerodrome in Sonari that allows only ATR and other small aircraft operations.

August 27, 2007: The Maharashtra government has started parlays with the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) for secure funding of Rs 4,200 crore for the Mumbai Urban Transport Project II (MUTP II).

August 27, 2007: Local shipbuilders such as Larsen & Toubro Ltd, ABG Shipyard Ltd, SKIL Infrastructure Ltd and the Adani Group plan to set up their new shipbuilding facilities in special economic zones (SEZs) to save on tax and improve or retain cost competitiveness.

August 27, 2007: An investment of about Rs 5,812 crore is expected to go towards meeting the capital dredging requirement of the country's major ports in the country over the next five years.