Blogs

Pacific International Lines Is Leaving The Asia-North Europe Tradelane Soon The Pacific International Lines (PIL), based in Singapore, has decided to quit the Asia-North Europe tradelane after an appreciable period of 15 years. The company has steadily performed well, along with joint collaboration with Wan Hai before it settled for slot charters. Presently, the company’s presence in the Asia-Europe trades is covered through various slots provided by Cosco on the NEU3/AEU7 service, as owned by the Ocean Alliance. Of recent, the sphere of Asia-Europe trades has been going through a lot of changes in the past few months. Peter Sand, the Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO, has highlighted the fact that the European containerised imports might be restricted with a disappointing, demand growth of not more than 2% in the near future. Sand has also predicted that the long hauls related to Northern and Southern Europe are likely to face a deterioration unless the cascading undergoes a huge improvement. These long-hauls will severely affect the fate of the ultra-large container vessels that usually thrive on the benefits gained by the economies of scale. Sand has warned that this grave situation is definitely going to exert a strong influence in 2019 and even, in years to come. Euroseas Decides To Use Low Sulphur Fuels In The Future Euroseas, the well-established Greek containership organization, is all set to incorporate the usage of low sulphur fuel, in order to observe the IMO 2020 0.5% sulphur cap. In a recent interview, Euroseas has laid stress on the fact that it is in the process of implementing the full-fledged use of low sulphur fuels, soon enough. The Chairman and CEO of the company, Mr.Aristides Pittas, has pointed out the fact that the company is not involving itself in the debate regarding the installation of scrubbers, which is going on in full swing in the maritime industry. Pittas has commented that Euroseas has chosen to follow the path of around 90% of the marine companies and have decided not to install scrubbers in their vessels. The company wishes to contribute in the welfare of the environment and thus, is actively promoting the usage of low sulphur fuels. Pittas is of the opinion that this fuel revolution is certainly going to improve the existing, market conditions as the predicted surge in the low sulphur fuel  prices can lead to slow-steaming, that is very much welcome. Karaikal Port Successfully Flags Off Its 150th Rake Belonging To Its Mechanized Bulk Cargo Handling System The Karaikal Port has achieved a great milestone after flagging off its 150th rake, which belongs to its mechanized bulk cargo system. The rake was successfully flagged off by Shri R.K.Kulshrestha, the General Manager of Southern Railways, along with Shri K. Muralidharan (the CEO of the Karaikal Port Private Limited) and Shri D.Udaya Kumar (Regional Manager of Southern Railways) and the port authority was much appreciated for this brilliant performance, since its mechanized bulk cargo handling system was introduced around 3 months back. The overall performance of Karaikal Port has drastically improved after the installation of the mechanized cargo system. The introduction of this modernized process has also ensured that the environment is much safer and well-protected, as the shipment is now intercarted in closed, conveyor systems that are far more effective in transforming the Karaikal Port into an eco-friendly port in South India. Kolkata Port Uses The Simplified Transhipment Process To Flag Off Its First Container Train The Kolkata Dock System (under the Kolkata Port Trust) has successfully flagged off the first container train under the newly launched, transhipment procedure from Kolkata to Nepal. Mr. Vinit Kumar, the Chairman of the Kolkata Port Trust, had graced the special occasion with his presence. The simplified version of transhipment procedure had been initially launched at the Visakhapatnam Port and later, was further adopted by the Kolkata Port. Now, the innumerable hassles related to the complex documentation process are no longer required as the service is faster now. APM Terminals Barcelona Invests To Expand Its Reefer Capacity By 31% According to sources, the APM Terminals Barcelona has planned to expand its reefer capacity by 31% in order to meet the growing demands of the clients for improving the cold storage facilities. Moreover, the APM Terminals Barcelona has also been able to increase its electrical capacity, which will allow a much-needed reduction in the C02 emissions. Plus, the terminal has included 152 additional reefer plugs and new racks that will make it easier to stack the reefer units up to four containers high. Sources: https://splash247.com/pils-15-year-presence-on-the-asia-europe-trades-comes-to-an-end/ http://www.seatrade-maritime.com/news/europe/euroseas-to-use-low-sulphur-fuel-to-comply-with-imo-2020.html http://www.maritimegateway.com/karaikal-port-flags-off-150th-rake-mechanized-bulk-cargo-handling-system/ http://www.eximin.net/NewsDetails.aspx?name=40513 https://www.porttechnology.org/news/apmt_invests_in_expanded_reefer_operations