Shipping
Govt grappling with HDC corporatisation
THE Union Government is grappling with the issue of corporatising the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC). A final decision in this regard has eluded the Government due to difficulties inherent in the task. Haldia is owned by the Calcutta Port Trust. If the Govern
ment decides to corporatise Haldia, presumably, the entity that will hold all the shares would be Calcutta Port.
Vizag Port Road Co floats tenders
THE Vizag Port Road Co, a joint venture formed between Vizag port and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for the construction of a road from the port to the National Highway-5, has floated tenders for execution of the Rs 80-crore
project. The last date for the submission of tenders is March 5.
EU proposal irks ITF
The European Union's proposal to allow shipping lines to provide their own cargo handling services has evoked sharp reactions from the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), the umbrella organisation for 533 transport unions in 1
36 countries. The proposal is part of the reform package the EU proposes to introduce to inject competition into port services, covering cargo handling, towage, mooring and pilotage, and recommends maximum periods of operating conce
ssions and appointment of neutral bodies to award contracts.
Liner service to India, Pakistan
The Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company SA (MSC) will begin a dedicated liner service between North European and Mediterranean ports to and from Pakistan and India. The service is scheduled to start on March 3, with the sailing of its fir
st vessel, MSC Xingang, from Antwerp, followed by MSC Clorinda on March 17 and MSC Laurence on March 31. Accordingly, export sailings from JNPT will begin from the third week of March, with MSC Xingang, according to an MSC release, issued
by Samsara Shipping Pvt Ltd, general agents for MSC in India.
Transport
CPCL takes non-conventional route
FOCUS on non-conventional cargoes such as vegetable oil and palm oil products, coastal transportation of coal, fertiliser, cement and steel for the domestic market, thrust on container traffic by setting up a CFS and establishing a super-s
ervice support base for all oil and drilling companies in the Krishna-Godavari basin are the hallmarks of the new strategic business plan drafted by the Cocanada Port Co. Ltd (CPCL), which operates the Kakinada port.
Cutting expenses is a tough task for the Railways
RAILWAY officials doubt the sector's ability to drastically cut its expenditure as per its objective. The staff cost accounts for nearly 68 per cent of the total expenditure of the Railways, and there is no way the cost can be contained. The Railways has
a total workforce of 1.6 million. According to an estimate, more than 20 per cent of them is fit for being declared surplus.
Criminal jurisdiction -- Flagging the guilty on high seas
TO EVERY coastal state, international law attaches, besides a territorial sea, a contiguous zone, an exclusive economic zone and a continental shelf (Articles 2, 33, 55 and 76 of the United National Convention). These maritime areas are treated as compul
sory appurtenances of the adjacent land territory. And international law confers upon a coastal state either exclusive, limited or concurrent jurisdiction, as the case may be, in or over the areas by virtue of its sovereignty over the land.
More women cruising into career at sea
THE SPECTACULAR growth in cruise shipping has led to an interesting development: The demand for women seafarers has reached an unprecedented level. A recent International Labour Organisation (ILO) report on seafarers' living and working condi
tion suggests that the growing cruise industry recruits women crew members to meet up to 30 per cent of their requirement. However, as the report points out, there is no systematic way of recruiting the women seafarers.
Tractors slip in rural economy mire
THE Rs 7,000-crore Indian tractor industry has been growing sluggishly at two per cent per annum for some years now, and the trend is likely to continue this year. Industry sources attribute this to several factors. But the most important is
the general slowdown of the rural economy.
