Blogs

The February month has started with a bang for the shipping industry! Let’s have a look at the most significant stories that created a stir for the media. TS Lines Plans To Expand Its Current Fleet TS Lines, the renowned ocean freight company in Taiwan, has decided to expand its current fleet size in order to widen its shipping network. TS Lines has carved out a strong niche by offering great services and actively participating in the intra-Asia trade. The Chairman of TS Lines, TS Chen, the shipping company is prepared to purchase vessels of different sizes that includes 1,000 teu, 2,000 teu and 2,800 teu. TS Lines is the sole owner of 6 ships as of now and it will be able to improve its services after the acquisition of a few more vessels in the future. TS Lines hopes to increase the number of its self-owned vessels to 18 and presently, it has a fleet consisting of 37 vessels in total. Moreover, the company has bigger plans of distributing its services from Greater China to Southeast Asia and further deploying the large-sized, container vessels to India, Australia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and South Korea. The upgrading of the containerships will enhance the company’s services in numerous routes like the Korea-China-India-Pakistan route, the Japan- singapore /Malaysia route and the Korea-China-Malaysia route. TS Lines has also approved plans of deploying 4,259 teu container vessels for the newly launched China-Malaysia 3 (CM3) route. TS Lines has been delivering a steady performance since last year when it sanctioned a plan to apply for an IPO regarding the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Ocean Network Express Adds A New Ship To Its Megaship Fleet The Ocean Network Express, more popularly known as the ONE, has revealed that its newly ordered megaship has been delivered at the Kure Shipyard, which is owned by the Japan Marine United Corporation. The megaship is named as the ONE GRUS and has an incredible size of 14,000 TEUs. This megaship happens to be the first delivery of 2019 from the ONE organization after the acquisition of ONE COLUMBA back in November. This vessel is painted in the company’s signature magenta colour, as well. The ONE GRUS is well-equipped with a lot of safety and eco-friendly features with the inclusion of a structural arrest system and welding technology. Plus, this containership consists of a hull form that lessens the engine-room space and boosts the efficiency of cargo-loading activities. The crack arrest technology makes sure that a high degree of structural safety is being observed. What’s more, the ONE GRUS has the power to use the ‘dual rating system’ technology in the main diesel engine, which will not only enhance the fuel efficiency but also make way for flexible shipping operations and diminish the emission of greenhouse gases to a great extent. According to the recent reports, the ONE organization has introduced an Integrated Navigation System that is aimed to minimize the workload of operators. Jawaharlal Nehru Port Loads A Heavy Project Cargo The Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) has been successful in loading a heavy lift export project cargo without facing any difficulties in the operation. The cargo consisted of heavy equipment related to the sub-assemblies of Barge loading machine for the purpose of mine development and export facilities meant for Guinea, Africa. The port officers of the JNPT were entrusted with the supervision of the cargo-loading procedure regarding the project cargo vessel - MV Happy Sky. It took around 36 hours to complete the full loading operation and it went quite smoothly. The Chairman of JNPT, Shri Sanjay Sethi, congratulated the port officials on the brilliant job of handling such a huge consignment. The Chairman also highlighted the fact that this success is reflective of the excellent teamwork and port efficiency while handling heavy cargo in a high pressure situation, which was carried out without any hassles or any error. Mr. Sethi commented that he is proud of the port authority and appreciate the hard work that has led the JNPT to become the best container port in the country. Pacific International Lines Has Used An e-BL On IBM Blockchain Platform Pacific International Lines (PIL) has successfully utilized an e-BL on the IBM Blockchain Platform to carry out a real-time pilot tracking shipment. The shipment contained mandarin oranges on its way from China to Singapore in time for the Lunar New Year celebrations. The e-BL used in collaboration with the blockchain technology has helped a great deal in lessening the document processing time (to almost zero!) along with an immediate digital transfer of the bill. Plus, the document handling becomes an automated procedure that ensures that the shipment is delivered to the destination at the right time. Cleanship Solutions Clinched A Scrubber Retrofit Deal For Over 30 Container Vessels Cleanship Solutions, a UK-based company, has entered an agreement for a scrubber retrofit project for an unnamed vessel operator for more than 30 containerships. The company plans to finish off the retrofit work as soon as possible and hopefully by the second quarter of 2019. The Managing Director of Cleanship Solutions, Chris McMenemy, has commented that the company is focussed on providing the quickest scrubber retrofit service in the shipping industry. The project will take care of the intricate aspects of the scrubber retrofit engineering phase along with the 3D scanning and production design. Sources: https://splash247.com/ts-lines-planning-fleet-expansion/ https://www.porttechnology.org/news/one_welcomes_new_vessel_to_megaship_fleet http://www.maritimegateway.com/jawaharlal-nehru-port-successfully-loads-large-project-cargo/ https://maritime-executive.com/article/pil-and-ibm-trial-delivery-using-ibm-blockchain-platform http://www.seatrade-maritime.com/news/europe/cleanship-solutions-lands-scrubber-retrofit-deal-for-over-30-boxships.html