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MSC CIO Recently Announced the Birth of a New Container Shipping Association Last year, some of the biggest shipping companies in the maritime industry (namely Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and Ocean Network Express) decided to establish the existence of a new, container shipping association that will boost the interoperability, standardisation and the digitalisation within the container shipping arena. According to the information gathered from various sources, a number of IT executives from the major shipping organisations have been actively involved in the planning of the launch of common information technology standards that will be declared as free of cost for any stakeholder related to the container shipping industry. Andre Simha, the CIO of MSC (the second largest liner in the world) and also the spokesperson of the new association, is of the opinion that the standardisation of data is very essential for all the liner organisations across the globe. Simha has highlighted the fact that the modern times demand the containerisation of data communications and that the competing formats can possibly cause “friction and frustration’ due to the not-so-smooth passage of information. Simha is positive about the importance of standardisation in the maritime industry that deals with a high degree of interaction. He is confident that the industry is sure to undergo a huge change (for the better) when a “critical mass” is prepared to adapt to the new techniques, which will certainly prove to be beneficial for all the companies in the long run. Indeed, it is really great to see that the carriers are preparing to review their current data standards and be more aware of the flow and exchange of information in the supply chains. BLOK Container Systems Has Launched New Machinery To Enhance The Port Efficiency Of recent, the BLOK Container Systems (based in UK ) has introduced an innovative, container handling equipment to boost the operational efficiency at the pots by speeding up the process of container handling. The modern machinery, the BLOK Spreader has made it really convenient to lift and transfer no less than four, empty shipping containers onto the quaysides as a single block, which will inevitably contribute in not only reducing the amount of congestion in the container ports but also decreasing the harmful emissions. Plus, this will definitely help in saving a lot of money for the maritime sector in the long run. Throwing light on this new announcement, Selwyn Rowley (the Director of Sales and Marketing at BLOK) believes that this development will exert a massive influence on the marine industry and harbours the potential to bring forth a revolutionary upgradation in the port handling systems. Since the vessels have now grown in size and can carry around 20,000 containers, it has become extremely necessary to bring forth a more disciplined, handling system to avoid the delays. GAC Has Successfully Handled The First Tanker At Kamarajar Port GAC India has achieved success by handling the first vessel (a tanker) at the brand-new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal, which is located within the Kamarajar Port (Ennore) in Chennai. The General Manager of Shipping Services, Captain Srinivasan Sethumadhavan, has supervised the procedure and is confident that the new LNG terminal will further open up new avenues for the overall improvement of the port’s services. Since the LNG market is undergoing a steady growth in the country, the first LNG terminal on the Eastern coast is bound to encourage the industrial growth in this region. The First Container Barge Has Been Flagged Off From ICTT Cochin The inland movement through the National Highways (3 and 9) has reached a great milestone when the first container barge (that was filled with loaded containers) was successfully flagged off from ICTT Cochin. As per the reports, the barge is sailing towards the Kottayam Port and ICD, which implies the considerable decrease in the congestion on the roads and also, the commendable reduction of its carbon footprint. It is now evident that the establishment of a permanent service between the Kottayam Port, ICTT Cochin and ICD, will be termed as extremely useful to the exporters and the importers because of the sharp decline in haulage and much cheaper rates. MSC Cruises Strike Up A Deal With Fincantieri For Constructing Cruise Vessels MSC Cruises have placed the order for building four, luxury cruise vessels by signing a contract with the famous Italian shipbuilder, Fincantieri. The two organizations had sealed the deal by signing a memorandum of agreement back in October 2018. According to the final agreement between the two parties, the first vessel is expected to be ready by the Spring of 2023, while the other three will be delivered by 2026 on a one-per-year basis. With this significant step, MSC Cruises is entering a new sector that yields the strong potential to trigger a global growth. Sources: https://splash247.com/msc-cio-calls-for-the-containerisation-of-data-communications/ http://www.seatrade-maritime.com/news/europe/new-container-handling-equipment-to-help-raise-port-efficiency.html http://www.maritimegateway.com/gac-india-handles-first-tanker-new-lng-terminal/ http://www.eximin.net/NewsDetails.aspx?name=40650 https://www.marinelink.com/news/msc-orders-four-cruise-ship-463999