Shipping
Night pilotage at Kochi Port
REPRESENTATIVES of trade, port users and other agencies concerned recently discussed recovering cancellation charges for night pilotage at the Kochi port. A representative of the Steamer Agents Association said night pilotage was available in
Chennai, Tuticorin and New Mangalore ports. There were no restrictions and no recovery of any cancellation charges. He said the same system should be followed in the Kochi port.
Transport
The price of road development
WITH the Railways to double the tracks between Bangalore and Mysore, traffic pressure is expected to ease on the parallel State Highway (SH) 17 connecting the two cities. But, then, given the route's current traffic pattern, one wonders wheth
er it would not throw up an excess transport capacity, at least initially.
The deep waters of ship acquisition
REPORTS HAVE it that India Steamship Company (ISS), an ailing shipping company of the K. K. Birla group, is planning tonnage acquisition. Thanks to the one time settlement of its dues to the government and banks, the company will soon have a clean balanc
e-sheet, a prerequisite for raising resources to fund the acquisition.
TNT: Delivering `as promised'
IT IS all fine that business happens at the speed of thought in the virtual world. But sooner or later, it falls on the very real brick-and-mortar world to deliver those promises, literally. With the Internet facilitating increased cross-border tr
ansactions and reducing the number of intermediaries in the distribution chain, the significance of an effective logistics system increases exponentially.
New master sets friendly course -- Interview with Dr. Jacob Thomas, Chairman, Cochin Port Trust
Dr. Jacob Thomas, who has taken over as Chairman of the Cochin Port Trust, has launched an aggressive marketing drive to step up the port's traffic. He has set up a business development cell to prepare a complete cargo profile for the last three ye
ars for Kochi and adjoining ports. He has also initiated a method to identify the core traffic. Dr. Thomas' objective, as he explains, is to turn the Kochi port into a `consumer-friendly marketing organisation'.
Volvo owners' association
OWNERS of Volvo tractor/trailers and tippers in Kerala have formed the Volvo Vehicle Owners Association. The organisation will exchange notes on vehicle operation, maintenance and ensure maximum utility for vehicles on the road. It will soon be affiliate
d with the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Kochi.
