M AR ITI M E US$ 3 • ` 150

MATRIX
Vol 10 • Edition 04 • April 2021

TODAY
Dr Ashok Chitkara and Dr Madhu Chitkara

Chase excellence, success will follow 20

Pride Safety Assurance Landbridge to build platform

04 24
for next-generation ship
management
India will soon begin Indian Major Ports freight traffic
14 38
full-scale operations at shows year-on-year increase for
Chabahar Port 5th consecutive month
02 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021
Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 03
Pride Safety Assurance
W
ith travellers being extremely thoughtful about their
accommodation, the need for safety of staff and stays
that are well-sanitized and disinfected environment
is of utmost priority. To attain the highest level of safety and
hygiene standards Pride Group of Hotels collaborated with
various medical and industry experts and formulated a design
to tackle the realities of COVID-19 pandemic at the hotel level
and further advance the company’s efforts in this area.

Pride Hotels welcome its guests for a safe and hygienic

experience under Pride Safety Assurance initiative. This
assurance covers hygiene guidelines, booking policies as well
as precautions to be taken by guests and staff to ensure safety
and flexibility.

Enlightening on the initiative, Mr Atul Upadhyay, VP Operations,

Pride Hotels Ltd said, “We have restarted our operations while
adapting to the new normal wherein the safety of our guest and
staff will be our top priority. We’re grateful to our loyal guests
who have bestowed us with their trust during this pandemic.
We want them to feel safe when they walk through the door Mr SP Jain, MD, Pride Hotels Ltd
of our hotels at all times. In order to make it possible we need

04 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021

Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 05
to be transparent with them on the steps we have
taken in the areas of cleanliness, hygiene and social
distancing. It’s also important for us to make our
staff feel safe while working. We’ve launched various
training programmes for them to be well equipped
while serving the guests. Our commitment towards
safeguarding both our guests and staffs is our
top most priority. So we’ve made sure that they’re
informed of the changes we are making at all times.”

Elaborating further on the initiative, Mr SP Jain,

Managing Director, Pride Hotels Ltd added that the
Pride hotel has rolled out enhanced technological
measures like contactless check-in & check-out
services, contactless billing facility, touch less
dispensing centre for the sanitizers and mobile
friendly dining menu. Other measures that have been
taken is the usage of biodegradable trays for the in-
room dining, marking the floors in the lobby area for
people so they maintain social distancing at all times
and all the key touch-points area in the hotel are
sanitized in every half an hour. There are many senior
executives and officers who have opted for Work from
Hotel or Self Isolation at our properties. “We want
our guests to know that we are doing everything we
can to welcome them back to a safe and clean hotel
environment when they start traveling again. Pride
Safety Assurance initiative is a step we have taken to
ensure them of our promise,” Mr Jain said.

MMT

06 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021

BIFA reminds members’
course of action following
General Average declaration

T
he British International Goods, the Customer shall release of cargo, so it is vital that
Freight Association is promptly provide security to the the importer takes immediate
reminding its members Company, or to any other party action.
that have been affected by the designated by the Company,
news that General Average has in a form acceptable to the “Our advice to members is that
been declared by the owner of Company.” with General Average being
the Ever Given that if they have declared, any standard marine
incorporated the BIFA Standard Robert Keen, Director General of policy will include General
Trading Conditions into their BIFA says: “When our members Average losses, so if the goods
contract with their clients there receive notification that a General have been insured the importer
is an indemnity concerning Average has been declared for a should obtain a General Average
General Average costs in clause vessel, whatever the position, guarantee from the insurers.
20 D. their first action must be to give
the importer immediate notice. “If no insurance has been
Furthermore, Clause 22 states: The appointed average adjusters organised then a cash deposit
“Where liability arises in respect will need to be in possession of will be needed.”
of claims of a General Average completed guarantees and bond MMT
nature in connection with the forms, or a cash deposit before

Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 07

ClassNK begins
Autonomous Shipping
Risk Assessment Study

NYK tested remote navigation and autonomous operations with one of its tugboats

W
ith global efforts mariners as well as to improve insurance, they will carry out
accelerating toward the working conditions by reducing the an optimal risk assessment for
practical use of technology workload of crew members. autonomous ships by researching
for autonomous operation of ships, and sharing their knowledge. They
With the implementation of
numerous questions arise regarding will also incorporate knowledge on
demonstration projects and the
the risks associated with the use of risk assessment for the practical
development of the guidelines led
these technologies and how it will application of autonomous
by the government, the framework
impact the shipping industry. The vehicles developed by SOMPO Risk
for safety evaluation is in progress
classification society ClassNK has Management Inc., which is in charge
in Japan according to ClassNK.
begun joint investigative research of risk management operations in
with Sompo Japan Insurance for Building on developments in the SOMPO Group.
a risk assessment of autonomous the field, Sompo Japan and the
They began their research in
ships. class society have begun joint
February 2021 and aim to announce
investigative research on the risk
Many people in the shipping the results in 2022. Through the
assessment of autonomous ships.
industry and technology believe results of various partnerships,
The risk assessment is considered
the use of autonomous operations ClassNK seeks to reinforce its
an important step to ensure the
or remote control may be a knowledge of risk assessment as a
safety of autonomous ships.
promising way to improve safety by classification society and will strive
preventing human error related to Utilizing ClassNK’s knowledge to contribute to the implementation
ship maneuvering, It also is viewed of ships, and Sompo Japan’s of autonomous ship technology.
in some regions, including Japan, knowledge on risks associated with
MMT
as a way to address some of the ship operation and management
growing shortages of qualified based on underwriting ship

08 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021

 Team Matrix

Kamal Chadha Delphine Estibeiro

Editor in Chief Editorial Coordinator

Jagdamba Pandey Shirish Kirtane

Advertising Coordinator Sr Graphic Designer

RNI: MAHENG/2013/50159

Published by Marex Creatives Pvt Ltd

C-209, Morya House, New Link Road, Andheri West, Mumbai 400058
Email: [email protected]

Printed by Metro Graphics

D-101, Akurli Industrial Estate, Akurli Road, Kandivali (East), Mumbai- 400101

Disclaimer
All advertisements in this magazine are placed with no liability accepted by the publisher for the material content therein. No responsibility
is accepted by the publisher for omission or error or non-insertion of any advertisements. All advertisements and material in this magazine
are subjected to approval by the publisher and are not necessary the opinion of the publisher. No liability is accepted for advertisements
that are placed or any information that might be criminally connected. All information is checked to the best of our knowledge and is
reliant upon the material submitted not being in contravention of all relevant laws and regulations and within the provisions of the Trade
Practices Act.
Reproduction Prohibited
Maritime Matrix Today will not be responsible for the views expressed by contributors in their personal capacity. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part
or whole without the permission of the Editor is prohibited.
Readers are recommended
To make appropriate enquiries before sending money, incurring expenses or entering into any commitment in relation to any advertisement published in
this publication. Maritime Matrix Today does not vouch for any claims made by the Advertisers of Products and Services. The Printer, Publisher, Editor and
Owner of Maritime Matrix Today shall not be held liable for any consequences, in the event such claims are not honoured by the Advertisers.

Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 09

Flagships prepare to deploy
world’s 1st hydrogen-powered
commercial cargo ship

T
he European innovation from the EU’s Research and can decarbonise urban rivers.
project Flagships is Innovation programme Horizon By translating technological
preparing to deploy the 2020, under the Fuel Cells and innovations into commercial
world’s first commercial cargo Hydrogen Joint Undertaking operations we can make zero-
transport vessel operating on (FCH JU), to deploy two hydrogen emissions inland vessels a reality
hydrogen. vessels in France and Norway. in every European city!” says Bart
Biebuyck, Executive Director at
The ship will be an inland vessel, The project’s initial plan was to FCH JU.
set to ply the river Seine in Paris, deploy a hydrogen push-boat in
and is scheduled for delivery the Lyon area, but as the broader Pieces in the zero-emission
in September 2021. It will be potential for hydrogen in cargo puzzle
fitted with by hydrogen power transport emerged, the demo
generation system, i.e., hydrogen pusher was changed to an inland The vessel will operate on
fuel cells. cargo vessel. The new vessel will compressed hydrogen produced
be tasked with moving goods on from electrolysis, enabling not
The hydrogen cargo transport pallets and in containers along only zero-emission operations.
vessel will be owned by French the river Seine. The power generation system
inland shipowner Compagnie for Zulu will be supplied by ABB
Fluvial de Transport (CFT), a The shift in focus is based on Marine & Ports, with fuel cells from
subsidiary of the Sogestran Sogestran Group’s experience Ballard. LMG Marin is responsible
Group. The company is currently gained in Belgium, where Blue for detail design drawings, with
developing a new business for Line Logistics (BLL), another hydrogen provided by suppliers in
urban distribution with transport subsidiary of the Sogestran the Paris region.
vessels in the Paris area. Group, operates three cargo
vessels sailing under the concept The Flagships consortium
“Green and sustainable shipping is name “Zulu”. includes 12 European partners,
a prerequisite for reaching national with two shipowners, Norled
and international emission Blue Line Logistics plans to have and CFT assisted by its support
reduction targets. Ships powered the ship operating on hydrogen company Sogestion and
by renewable hydrogen will make before the end of 2021. Sogestran; the maritime OEM and
a substantial contribution to integrator companies ABB Marine
reducing emissions from shipping One Zulu vessel has also been & Ports and Westcon Power &
and improving air quality in cities put into operation in Paris, and Automation and ship design
and other densely populated an additional two Zulu ships are company LMG Marin.
areas,” says Flagships Project currently under construction for
Coordinator Jyrki Mikkola from the same market. MMT
VTT Technical Research Centre of “Flagships is a very exciting
Finland. project for us, since it is leading the
The Flagships project was way to demonstrate how vessels
awarded EUR 5 million in 2018 operating on green hydrogen

10 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021

Gasum kicks off test LBG
deliveries to Finish Border Guard

N
ordic energy company we will expect to gain more can be mixed and used in the
Gasum has kicked off experience on using biogas and same vessels.
test deliveries of liquefied to support further our efforts to
biogas (LBG) for the Finnish reach the carbon neutrality goals “Gasum has supported the
Border Guard. Finland has set for 2035”, says Finnish Border Guard’s LNG-
commander Marko Aheristo, the fueled offshore patrol vessel
The deliveries aim to Turva since the beginning of her
Head of Ship Technical Unit at
demonstrate the suitability of operations, and now we are very
the Finnish Border Guard.
LBG as a fossil-free and 100 per happy to continue this journey
cent renewable fuel to the needs According to the current with LBG-deliveries. Using
of the maritime industry. government program, Finland biogas alongside with LNG in
will be carbon-neutral by 2035. marine transport is a new step
Gasum made the first delivery of
This means significant emission forward in decarbonizing the
domestically produced biogas
cuts are required in the transport shipping industry and we are
from the Turku biogas plant to
sector on land and sea. By looking forward to completing
Helsinki on 1 April.
choosing biogas, it is possible more successful trials with
The next delivery will take to reduce the CO2 emission by biogas in the near future”, says
place in the coming weeks with up to 90 percent, making it the Jacob Granqvist, vice president
liquefied biogas imported from cleanest marine fuel available. Maritime from Gasum.
Risavika, in Norway, to Helsinki LBG is also interchangeable
with liquefied natural gas (LNG) MMT
via Gasum’s terminal in Pori.
which means that the two gases
“Through these test deliveries
Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 11
Hapag-Lloyd confirms
completion of world’s
1st ULCV LNG-conversion

T
he world’s first conversion of The project was delayed due to percent and sulphur dioxide and
a large containership to LNG the COVID-19 impact, marking its particulate matter emissions by
as fuel has been completed, official start on September 2. more than 90 percent.
German liner company Hapag-
The ship was fitted with 6,500-cbm Earlier this year, the company
Lloyd has confirmed.
LNG Mark III tank was designed has ordered also six 23,500+ TEU
The 15,000 TEU vessel Sajir, by the French LNG containment containerships, set to be powered
now renamed Brussels Express, specialist GTT. by LNG.
departed the Chinese shipyard
MAN Energy Solutions was tasked The $ 1 billion investment will see
Huarun Dadong Dockyard Co. last
with the conversion of the vessel’s the LNG-powered vessels delivered
Saturday and is now underway in
HFO-burning MAN B&W 9S90ME-C to Hapag-Lloyd between April and
the North China Sea heading toward
engine to a dual-fuel MAN B&W ME- December 2023.
Busan, Korea.
GI.
The vessels will be fitted with fuel-
“We will have some guarantee
The conversion is expected to cost efficient high-pressure dual-fuel
work to do though which will be
around $35 million. engines, that will operate on LNG.
completed during the next months,”
However, they will have alternatively
Hapag-Lloyd said. The Sajir is one of the 17 vessels
sufficient tank capacity to operate
in Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet that were
The ship is now phasing back into on conventional fuel, the company
originally designed to be LNG-
service. said.
ready.
The vessel arrived at the Shanghai Hapag-Lloyd has secured green
The project is the core of Hapag-
yard on August 31, 2020, for the financing for the newbuilds worth a
Lloyd’s sustainability strategy, as
retrofit, which was set to start in total of $889 million.
using LNG has the potential to
May 2020.
reduce CO2 emissions by 15 to 30 MMT

12 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021

 NGOs call IMO to cut
black carbon emissions
in the Arctic

N
on-governmental Prior added that the bunker industry, (albedo) and continues to absorb
organisations are calling on which supplies fuel for shipping, heat, accelerating the Arctic melt.
the IMO to seize the chance has indicated that it can meet the
to immediately reduce climate- necessary demand for alternative Even though, shipping only
warming emissions of black carbon fuels to support a migration away contributes 2% of the black
from ships currently using heavy from using heavy fuel oil in the carbon in the Arctic, it has a much
fuel oil in the Arctic by switching Arctic. greater heating impact. What is
them to cleaner distillate fuels. more, studies show that shipping
Ultimately, international regulation emissions of black carbon have
As explained, the switch would by the IMO is needed to eliminate risen 8% globally in the past decade,
ensure a cut by some 44%. emissions of black carbon from and in the Arctic by 85% between
shipping on a global scale, she 2015 and 2019 alone.
The calls coincide with the start pointed out.
of the virtual five-day meeting In November 2020, the International
of the International Maritime Austin Ahmusak, Kawerak Marine Maritime Organization (IMO), the
Organization’s Pollution Prevention Advocate, stressed that the Arctic UN body which governs shipping,
and Response Sub-Committee is warming as a result of human- approved a ban on the use and
(PPR 8). induced changes to the atmospheric carriage of HFO in the Arctic – a ban
carbon cycle, adding that this has that is set to be adopted this June.
“Mandating a switch of fuels in already had an impact on the rich
order to cut black carbon emissions biological diversity. The organizations insist that this
in the Arctic would be an easily-won ban contains serious loopholes
victory for both the IMO and the About 7-21% of global shipping’s which will mean minimal reductions
shipping industry, and put the sector climate warming impacts can be in the use and carriage of HFO in
on course towards decarbonisation. attributed to black carbon – the 2024 when implemented.
Most importantly, getting black remainder being CO2, according
carbon out of the Arctic would also to International Council on Clean PPR 8 is set to discuss amendments
be a win for the climate, for the Arctic Transportation’s publication titled to the IBC Code, development of
and the people who depend on its Greenhouse gas emissions from a standard for the verification
ecosystem for their livelihoods”, Dr global shipping, 2013–2015. of ballast water compliance
Sian Prior, Lead Advisor to the Clean monitoring devices and assessment
Arctic Alliance, said. When emitted by ships in and near of Black Carbon emissions in Arctic
the Arctic, black carbon particles shipping.
As explained, the IMO has been enter the lower levels of the
wrestling with what to do with atmosphere, where they remain for MMT
regard to black carbon for over under two weeks, absorbing heat.
a decade now, and with black But when it eventually comes to
carbon on the agenda now, the IMO land on snow or ice, black carbon’s
Member States have the chance to warming impact is 7 to 10 times
take rapid and effective action. greater, as it reduces the reflectivity

Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 13

India will soon begin
full-scale operations at
Chabahar Port

B
y the end of May, India will neighboring Pakistan’s Gwadar, imposed under the Donald
begin full-scale operations a key component of Beijing’s Trump administration.
in its first foreign port Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
venture at Iran’s Chabahar, a Indian suppliers and engineers,
facility that opens on the Gulf of India has nearly completed some with interests in the U.S.,
Oman that will aim to facilitate development of two terminals were reluctant to deliver essential
more South Asia, Central Asia at Chahabar’s Shahid Beheshti machinery and services to Iran
and West Asia trade, a report complex that opens onto the on fears they could somehow
stated. Gulf of Oman. be sanctioned, despite clear
exemptions on Chabahar in
India’s $500 million investment The 10-year lease agreement,
Trump’s sanction order. That led
represents a clear and potent a deal first clinched by Prime
to certain speculation that China
commercial challenge to China’s Minister Narendra Modi in
may take over the project from
massive port investment in Tehran in 2016, has until now
India.
been hobbled by U.S. sanctions

14 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021

But New Delhi has doubled down Some see the INSTC as a less- Hajigak iron and steel mining
and accelerated the project with monied rival to China’s BRI, project awarded to seven
the shift from Trump to Joe which has invested heavily in Indian companies in central
Biden, banking like others on a Pakistan’s road, power and trade Afghanistan.
new breakthrough on the Joint infrastructure, including huge
Comprehensive Plan of Action multi-billion-dollar investments Hajigak is the best known and
(JCPOA), the official name for at Gwadar port. largest iron oxide deposit in
the 2015 nuclear agreement, Afghanistan. It is located near
and a broader U.S.-Iran warming INSTC envisions a 7,200 the Hajigak Pass, with its area
trend. kilometer-long, multimode divided between Maidan Wardak
network comprised of shipping, and Bamyan provinces.
“I will inaugurate the fully rail, and road links connecting
operationalized Chabahar India’s Mumbai with Europe via Unlike Chabahar, which is
port in April or May,” Mansukh Moscow and Central Asia. Initial designed more to serve the
Mandaviya, India’s ports, and estimates suggest INSTC could economic and trade interests of
shipping minister, said in a cut current carriage costs by the wider region, Gwadar is more
recent virtual discussion on about 30% and travel times by tilted toward Beijing’s ambitions,
Iran’s Chabahar port. half. analysts and traders say.

India has supplied two large Iran has already started working Riaz Haq, founder and president
cargo-moving cranes and will on a 600-kilometer-long railway of PakAlumni Worldwide,
deliver two more in the coming line connecting Chabahar port to a global social network for
weeks before the facility’s Zahedan, the provincial capital Pakistanis, wrote in a recent blog
expected ceremonial opening of Sistan-Baluchestan province that “China is looking to build
next month. close to the Afghan border. and use Gwadar in Pakistan as
Hong Kong West to serve as a
New Delhi is already promoting Chabahar oceanic port consists superhighway for China’s trade
the port’s potential humanitarian of Shahid Kalantari and Shahid expansion in [the] Middle East
role, noting it was used to send Beheshti terminals, each of (West Asia), Africa and Europe.”
emergency shipments of wheat which has five berth facilities.
to Afghanistan during the The port is located in Iran’s Gwadar port’s planned capacity
Covid-19 crisis and pesticide to Sistan-Balouchestan Province will accommodate a massive
Iran to deal with a recent locust and is about 120 kilometers 300 to 400 million tons of cargo
infestation. southwest of Pakistan’s annually, comparable to the
Baluchistan province, where the combined annual capacity of
Chabahar has seen limited all Indian ports. It also dwarfs
China-funded Gwadar port is
operations since 2019, a result the 10-12 million tons of cargo
situated.
of U.S. restrictions imposed on handling capacity now planned
Iran’s energy exports. The port In May 2016, India, Iran, and for Chabahar.
handled a mere 123 vessels Afghanistan signed a trilateral
with 1.8 million tons of bulk and agreement for the strategically- In another comparison, the
general cargo from February located Chabahar to give New largest U.S. port at Long Beach,
2019 to January 2021, well Delhi access to Kabul and California, handles 80 million
below its operating capacity, Central Asia. tons of cargo, about a quarter of
according to reports. what Gwadar could handle upon
The original plan committed at completion of a project that is
That’s set to change. New Delhi least $21 billion to the so-called designed largely to receive and
ultimately aims to link Chabahar Chabahar–Hajigak corridor, move China’s trade.
to its International North-South which then included $85 million
Transport Corridor (INSTC), a for Chabahar port development, MMT
project initially proposed by a $150 million credit line to Iran,
India, Russia, and Iran in 2000 an $8 billion India-Iran MOU for
and later joined by 10 other Indian industrial investment in
Central Asian nations. a Chabahar special economic
zone, and $11 billion for the

Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 15

IRClass commits to
provide classification
services to the
defence industry
I
ndian Register of Shipping now to the Indian Army. IRClass
(IRClass), an international ship will be approving the design and
classification society, has won a certifying the construction of 29
contract to provide classification units of Fast Patrol Boats and LCAs
services for a fleet of Fast Patrol which are being constructed by
Boats & Landing Craft Assault Goa Shipyard Limited and Aquarius
(LCAs) currently under construction Shipyard respectively. This affirms
for the Indian Army. IRClass’ commitment to the Indian
defence industry and reflects the
The Indian Army placed an order
confidence of Defence customers
on Goa Shipyard Ltd to build 12
in the capabilities and competence
Fast Patrol Boats in January this
of IRClass.”
year. These boats will be deployed
for surveillance and patrolling of The contract follows on from
Head of IRClass Defence Division,
large water bodies, including those IRClass’ success in obtaining
Cdr KK Dhawan (Retd.)
in high altitude areas like Pangong orders for classification and
Tso lake in Ladakh. The boats are certification of several major
expected to be delivered by May projects of the Indian Navy
2021. including Survey Vessels (Large),
Diving Support Vessels, ASW-SW
IRClass is also certifying 17 No.
Corvettes, Diving Support Crafts
high speed Landing Craft Assault
and various yard crafts.
(LCAs), for the Indian Army, which
are already under construction IRClass is also engaged in
at Aquarius Shipyard, Goa. These providing its services to other
crafts are also being built for paramilitary and government
high altitude, low temperature services, including the Indian Coast
specialized operations. Guard, Border Security Force (BSF),
National Disaster Response Force
Head of IRClass Defence Division,
(NDRF), State Police Departments
Cdr KK Dhawan (Retd.), said: “Indian
amongst others.
Register of Shipping is proud to
extend its classification services MMT

16 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021

SCA contemplates to widening
southern section of the canal
T
he Suez Canal Authority of its largest permitted vessels northbound convoy briefly went
is contemplating the (400 meters). aground in the canal’s southern
possibility of widening section, according to shipping
“Our procedures are sound, we
the southern section of the agency GAC. The cause was a
are just aiming to improve the
waterway, the agency’s loss of power aboard the tanker
service,” SCA chairman Osama
chairman said. Rumford, the agency said, and
Rabie told Reuters. “If there is
the tanker behind Rumford
The canal is a critical maritime a 250-meter part that needs
grounded as well. The incident
chokepoint, and last month’s expansion, maybe we will make
briefly delayed four additional
boxship grounding showed it 400 meters.”
vessels that were located behind
a unique vulnerability: the
SCA may also consider buying Rumford in the convoy.
400-meter-long Ever Given
new tugs with more pulling
straddled the canal’s entire Both tankers were quickly
power, like the privately-
width, halting all traffic for six refloated with tug assistance
operated anchor handlers that
days and stalling the movement and traffic carried on with
salvors called in to remove Ever
of tens of billions of dollars’ minimal interference, GAC said.
Given.
worth of goods. In an interview, As of Wednesday morning,
SCA chairman Osama Rabie Groundings in the canal are a Rumford had exited the north
suggested that the authority periodic occurence, but rarely end of the canal and was under
might widen the waterway to a result in a major disruption. way in the Mediterranean.
dimension equal to the length On Tuesday, two vessels in a
MMT

Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 17

Container availability
and pricing are improving
for Exporters

A
fter months of crippling from data on the container ports is currently up 56 percent
shortages, container leasing and trading platform according to Container xChange
availability and pricing Container xChange to track when compared to before the
is finally improving in China, the availability of containers in Chinese New Year holidays that
according to Container major seaports. started on February 11. While the
xChange’s Container Availability slowdown in factory production
Index (CAx). The index draws The CAx reading of incoming
normally associated with the
containers across China’s main

18 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021

holiday period was reduced containers, the increase is even The Container xChange
this versus normal levels, greater, with box availability Container Availability Index
they believe that it was still improving 112 percent over the is also highlighting that other
enough to allow the container same period. Chinese ports such as Qingdao,
supply/demand imbalance Dalian, and Ningbo are strong
to be reduced. At the same “One week of index values
alternatives to Shanghai for
time, the major carriers have greater than 0.5 does not mean
exporters who have been
been working to aggressively so much but exceeding the 0.5
struggling with finding the right
return containers to reduce the marks for several weeks in a row
equipment.
shortages experienced in late like Shanghai and other main
2020 and earlier in 2021. ports in China have done means Dalian has the highest equipment
that finally more containers are availability of the three ports
with further improvements after
the holiday period. Container
availability also improved in the
same period at Qingdao. These
improvements in availability
also contributed to declines in
the cost for used containers
from the record highs reported
in January 2021. According to
Container xChange, prices for
cargo-worthy containers have
declined by a third between
January and February falling to
$3,750 in February.

“These prices are still far higher

than buyers usually pay for
newly built containers, but this
is still good news for companies
who export from China,” said
Schlingmeier.

While Container xChange

believes these developments
are a positive sign highlighting
the improvements at key
export hubs in China, they are
forecasting continued volatility
for container availability both in
China and elsewhere in 2021.

MMT

At Shanghai, the biggest Chinese entering ports regularly, giving

box port, the CAx increased them the chance to reduce
64 percent for 20-foot dry the container supply/demand
containers when comparing the imbalance,” said Dr. Johannes
pre- and post-holiday container Schlingmeier, CEO & Founder of
availability. For 40-foot dry Container xChange.

Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 19

Cover Story

Chase excellence,
success will follow
T
he latest Institute to join
the maritime education
& training sector is the
Chitkara University School of
Maritime Studies (CUSMS). It is
located in Punjab, on the lush
outskirts of Chandigarh.

This is the first institution in

the Northern States of Punjab,
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, and J&K, to get
Directorate General of Shipping
(DGS), Government of India
approval for both, BSc (Nautical
science) & BTech (Marine
Engineering) courses.

At the helm of CUSMS is its

Director, Capt Prabhat Nigam,
who is also President of the
Maritime Trainers Guild.

Marex Editor-in-chief Kamal

Chadha met with and spoke
to the Founder-Chancellor, Dr
Ashok K Chitkara (AKC), and
the Founder-Pro-Chancellor,
Dr Madhu Chitkara (MC) of
Chitkara University to find out
about their brilliant successes
in the arena of academics, and
what prompted them to enter Dr Ashok Chitkara and Dr Madhu Chitkara
the field of maritime education &
training.
in this region and we both have In 2002, we thought to do
Please describe your journey a PhD degree. We have been something on our own, because
of a lifetime to founding and working together for 44 years Dr Ashok was known then for
nurturing a path-breaking now. If you see the vertical of it, giving non-formal education.
university such as Chitkara. we have taught school education Basically, he was coaching the
MC: Our professional journey and higher education and then students for IIT entrance. So
from P2P, primary to PhD, started university education. Our journey people would ask him why you
in 1976. We both are from a began as schoolteachers. don’t open a college where we
Mathematics background. He is Thereafter doing our PhDs, we can get formal education in
in fact a stalwart in mathematics went on to teach in university as engineering. Here, we got the
professors. idea of starting an engineering
20 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021
college in 2002 with whatever marine background, and he them often and thank them.
savings we had. We started knows all the details. So, from We are always there for them
with 220 students and now it’s day 1 this course started with during any crisis. Especially
more than 20,000 students on great perfection and we are during pandemic, we delivered
our campuses. We have two grateful that we are known for whatever help we could render
universities – one in Punjab and perfection in this region. to them. These are the people
the other in Himachal Pradesh. who have grown with us.
Secondly, we are a part of United
Like I said we work in P2P, so we Nations (UN) and we got our MC: We have adopted these
have 2 schools too which started UN Impact Ranking during the villages in 2002; it was not the
in 2004. We have captured four lockdown where we are in the mandate from the government.
territories of this North region – 59th position in the whole world. Let me explain – If you look at
Chandigarh, Punjab, Himachal We are the only university to be our logo, you can see 3 arrows
Pradesh, and Haryana. We have partnered with UN Academic going in the upward direction,
Chitkara International Schools to work on Sustainable one for the students, one for
in Chandigarh and Panchkula. Development course. You must faculty and the last arrow for the
be aware of SDG-17 a mandate stakeholders, which includes the
It was a slow and humble start.
given by UN that by 2030 we society, industry, and parents.
We started with an engineering
will have to work on that. So, we As society was part of our logo,
college keeping in mind the
were working on it, the only one vision and mission, we had
demand of the public and society.
goal that was left out was the to diligently work with these
Then, we started with BEd
14th goal – i.e. life under water. villagers.
College, Architecture, Pharmacy,
We were earlier not working on
Media and Hospitality. We have We have a Chitkara Community
it but with this course, we are
a multi-disciplinary campus. Radio Frequency 107.8
now confident that we will now
Only Law and hard-core medical working 24/7, which is the first
be working on this goal as well.
MBBS is not there. Rest you community radio in Punjab.
name any course, and we have In what manner does the School Our media students with the
it. of Maritime Studies stand out help of media industry run this
from other similar setups in the radio. We have slots for different
How and when did a School of
nation? departments such as pharmacy,
Maritime Studies take shape?
architecture. We take up society’s
AKC: Our philosophy is very
AKC: This is a quite different and issues on radio and come up
simple. We are taking baby steps
unique course and only those with probable solutions. Some
and do not believe in competing
students who want to go to sea of these solutions have already
with others but with ourselves
will join the course. Punjab is a been in place with the help of
– what we are today and what
rich state; the parents, whether government. This is our CSR –
we can be tomorrow. We have
they have money or not, they will Chitkara Social Responsibility.
genius faculty with us. When
sell their land but ensure their
you chase excellence, success During the lockdown, since we
children receive the education
will follow. So, we are sure that have a huge campus and our
of their choice. We were in
in the next 5 years like our other cooks and staff was staying
search of a new course and no
courses even this course will here so whenever they had any
university in Punjab was offering
grow exponentially with the families that were in distress or
this course. So, my son and
grace of god and the efforts of were having any trouble, the food
wife decided to start the unique
our excellent faculty. was supplied to them through
course which will be the crown
the campus gates. We have
of our university – School of Please brief us on your Social
helped the society in whatever
Maritime Studies. contributions that complement
ways we can and similarly we
your work in academics.
MC: In 2017, we thought of also receive huge help from the
this idea and it took us 3 years AC: There are 5 villages nearby nearby villagers.
to finally achieve it. We are our campus. When the villagers
In the evening, these villagers
lucky to have Capt Prabhat from these villages visit the
visit the premises and use the
Nigam on board with us on this university, they feel like there
infrastructure such as play fields
programme. He has a strong are at their home. We meet
Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 21
for conducting matches or other
events. Chitkara has donated
sewing machines to the illiterate
ladies of the villages who are
trained in tailoring course
through these machines. This
was of great help recently when
we gave them the job of stitching
face masks. It was an added
income for them and thus a win-
win situation for both of us – the
villagers and the university.

Our computer centre was used

greatly during the lockdown The Secretary of Maritime Trainers Guild, Capt Kamal Chadha,
when most of the educational presents the MTG Corporate Membership plaque to Pro-Chancellor,
content was delivered online. As Dr Madhu Chitkara, in the presence of Capt Prabhat Nigam,
the villagers had issues with the Director, CUSMS and President MTG
connectivity of their system, we
took all the data from the Indian If any individual had an idea, as is true, if we compare all our
government and delivered it to the Chancellor or Principal, we were private universities. Private
villagers through the community ready to take it. As we both are universities came in 1950’s
radio. We were honoured by the from pharmacy background that is not much of a time, but
government for this service. We and my wife has studied all the we are compared to Harvard,
donated 50 lakh Rs to the PM books of pharmacy when we Stanford universities under
Relief Fund for COVID-19 crisis started pharmacy course, it was same pyramid, which seems
for which everyone poured in her responsibility, and hence, impossible. We cannot compare
their one-day salaries. I think she asked us to follow her a university which is of 50 year
we have got huge help from the instructions, and we did it as we old to a university 200 years
people of these villages and now were passionate about it. old. Because the old ones are
it is our turn to give them back in well researched and patented.
whatever form we can. Similarly, with maritime studies,
That is the reason we are not in
when I received a call from DGS
What energizes you every those rankings, we are trying our
office. I was very happy. They
morning to reach your desk and best, IITs are the pioneers of the
gave us all the instructions
start the long day at work? institutes, and others will also
– about the requirement of
soon join.
AKC: In 44 years there has not swimming pool, about rooms,
been a single day that I have not food court et al. We followed the If we see our journey, we got
come and visited the campus. instructions and therefore, they a university status in 2010,
It is our passion. It gives me were highly impressed. just 10 years ago, we do not
immense satisfaction to be able compare ourselves with them,
Except Indian IIT’s, other
to deliver this responsibility because their legacy is different,
universities have not managed
to serve the people and serve their alumni is very strong. The
to make a dent in the world’s list
the students and provide alumni are investing 50% of the
of top universities, and Indian
employment to the people. It’s a money by themselves. It is not
students continue to crowd
sense of achievement by god’s the culture in India, and it will
universities abroad. Do you see
grace. take time to come.
this trend changing soon? Why?
Please give us a glimpse of the Even we have Chitkara Alumni
MC: Not more than 5% students
School of Maritime Studies and network, which is a strong
are going aboard. And it’s a myth
why you have placed great trust network, being just 10 year
that they don’t want to come
in its leadership and faculty. old university students have
back. They are very excited to
started giving back, when they
AKC: People’s trust is most come back; our campus is an
themselves are adjusting their
important for any organisation. exchange pool. Yes the ranking
family in their earnings. I am
22 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021
honoured to say my students in our campus that will turn the the two. Every weekend, we
have started giving back. If campus into a multidisciplinary ensure to spend family quality
the alumni are not strong the one. Here we will see how the time together. We may go to
perception won’t be strong. research is happening and watch a movie or socialise
the teacher won’t actually be together. By God’s grace we are
In India everybody cannot afford
researcher, because research all doing well. And we pray that
to study aboard. So we have an
tells you inquisitiveness. If you everything should grow – our
international department where
are inquisitive, you will start kids, business, and society.
more than 80 teachers come
searching a new concept that
from different parts of the world. MC: Yes, as my husband rightly
will be delivered in your teaching
We have collaboration with 165 said – as a family we will have
learning processes through that
universities. Instead of sending difference of opinion. For
skill will develop.
the students aboard, we invite instance: Take the courses that
the teachers here for a week They are all interrelated, are offered in Harvard University;
and complete one module. So maritime is all about skill based the most popular courses
the students get the feeling of course. 90% of the course is are based on family business
international education. all lab-oriented, where the courses. Even they know it
students have to learn hands- is very difficult to work with
How do you see the School of
on experience. I assure you that differences, because it enters
Maritime Studies synergising
this department will also start into your home environment
with the maritime sector in
researching, and they will also where nobody is same, and it
research & development or
having some patents. Here, one should not be the same. In our
through other avenues?
will be writing a research paper case, we have our children who
MC: As per the National and that benefit is given to the have also joined our business.
Education Policy (NEP) 2020, industry, as industry knows But we our lucky there isn’t any
which was introduced by the that the paper is given by the dispute or differences.
government of India during university, so it means a lot for
them. I assure you that, this Each one of us is assigned with
the lockdown, there has to be
will be the first maritime school different responsibilities; and we
multidisciplinary course, where
where research will be done see to it that we do not intervene
we can work together, and learn
along with teaching. in each other’s responsibilities.
many things from each other.
We offer suggestions or ideas; it
In our universities, we have 2
On a personal note, how easy, or is upon us whether to implement
departments; Chitkara University
hard, is it to work as a husband- it in our work structure. We do
research and Innovative network
wife team? not force our suggestions or
(CURIN) and Chitkara University
ideas on each other.
Centre for Entrepreneurship AKC: The profiles we handle are
Education & Development totally different from each other We respect each other’s
(CUCEED) - which is all about – my wife handles the outdoor decisions. There is a Lakshmana
entrepreneurship. We were the and I the indoor activities. Rekha between our professional
first in the northern region to Right from the beginning, we and personal life; that is we talk
begin a start-up system. have followed a simple rule business at office and personal
of not interfering with each matters at our home.
We have so many start-
other’s work. We are a family
ups at present also we have MMT
of four where each member
incubation centre in campus.
will have a different opinion on
80 plus companies are sitting
a particular topic. So if there
in this incubation centre as
are any differences, we discuss
we are given space to them.
amongst ourselves and weigh
They have reached such a
our decisions whether it will
phase that instead of being
benefit our students, and faculty,
Job seekers they have become
as they are our top priority.
Job creators. CUCEED and
CURIN are working together We have segregated our
and doing research work. A professional and personal life
new department is going start and do not believe in mixing
Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 23
Landbridge to build
platform for next-
generation ship
management
H
aving a vast experience of 26
years as a Master Mariner of
which 12 years have been ashore
in different roles – a risk assessor for
Oil Majors; heading quality and safety
department for a ship owner in Hong
Kong; Capt Sanjeev Verma is now the
Managing Director, Landbridge Ship
Management (HK) Limited. To which
he has had the privilege of starting
the youngest ship management
company – Landbridge, which was
incorporated in 2018 with a unique
team of industry experts to provide
ship management and technical
support for the fleet and serving
business partners.
Capt Verma has completed his MBA
from Asia’s prestigious Business
School – HKUST School of Business.
He is an active member with NI, ICS
and various committees at Intertanko
and HKSOA.
In an exclusive interaction with
Jagdamba Pandey, Capt Verma
shares his thoughts on the impact of
COVID-19.
How is COVID-19 affecting maritime
professionals working ashore?
When COVID-19 hit the world, no
industry was spared or prepared.

24 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021

It impacted not only maritime our Governments to declare on cybersecurity. Our strength
professionals ashore but the “seafarers as key workers,” is system transparency and
entire corporate sector. Given create easier travel for them, advanced use of digitalization.
the lockdown situation in most put them as the front workforce
places where we operate the to get vaccinated in every How do you stay on track to
shipping business, a new-normal country, work upon uniform achieve your long-term goals –
must be embraced to ensure digitalized travel documents personal and professional?
smooth operations. We learned to let them move freely. The We need to keep our goal in
how to work remotely while face of ship management will sight; the ships are to be run
supporting our ship from shore, change in the coming time; we by our seafarers; we remain
and a fast track full digitalization need to see what kind of shore facilitators to provide the best
has happened across most experience we require, how do support. Our long-term goal is to
of the companies. We, at we embrace digitalization in set this platform to provide third-
Landbridbe Ship Management our daily operation. And the party management services to
had embraced digitalization biggest question, are we ready shipowners after building this
for all activities long before for such change to accept that platform to the most innovative,
the pandemic occurred. We seafarers will finally run ships. transparent, and safe standards.
applied online systems for We need a shift in our mindset We strongly believe that
our operations. These digital that we need to be transparent “nothing is impossible” – when
solutions had supported us with all stakeholders to trust our we started our platform with the
during this challenging period, seafarers’, our biggest asset. first VLCC ship, we were clear in
which requires us to comply with our vision that we need to build
strict health protocols, promotes With the vast changes in
maritime technology, how a platform for next-generation
physical distancing, and prevent ship management. In the last
individual contact. is Landbridge using it to its
advantage? 2 years, we worked upon our
Have you come across any core by adding value-added
positive stories coming out from The ship design and equipment services, which helped us spend
COVID-19? have not changed much. What wisely to improve safety with
has changed is that now we have transparency.
I think one of the most positive information readily available
signs I see from the current at our fingertips. We are using What is your secret to building
pandemic situation forcing us the unified ERP solution, which trusting relationships with
to stay ashore where we are is available, covering the entire stakeholders?
unable to visit our ships. Lesson ship and shore operation at our Be honest with your stakeholders,
learnt is that ships are still dashboard from any corner of treat them as partners, and
running safely and without any the world. Our data management share your joyful moments with
serious issues. In short, we have system is fully integrated with them. Alone we can’t create this
learnt that ships can function our cloud storage; using various company; we need people to
smoothly. The shore office is just interconnected applications of support us; everyone working
a support platform, and batten the Microsoft Suite, we can work with us has contributed to our
to do a micro-management together in one place, irrespective success. Be humble and treat
from shore won’t work. We need of our locations. In reality, we your stakeholders at par; this is
our seafarers to be adequately have just a few physical files in the key to success.
empowered to make an informed our office to store hard copies of
decision, which they are capable. a few agreements; the rest of the MMT
data are stored on the cloud and
As MD of Landbridge Ship available from any computers
Management, what do you hope or mobile phones, from any
to accomplish within these location. We also take care of
changing times within the next cybersecurity; the applications
two years? are fully protected with multiple
The next few years will be layers of security. We are also
challenging for our industry. working with Lloyd’s Register and
The travel will be the most Nettitute for shipboard advanced
challenging part, whereas in cybersecurity protection to
our industry we need to push prepare IMO’s latest regulation

Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 25

Nippon’s new nano-domain
antifouling will further enhance
propulsion and environmental
efficiency of ships

T
urkey’s Iskenderun Guangzhou shipyard in May These hulls will be spot blasted
Ship Management has and June respectively, with the and sealed with Nippon Paint
provided a first reference 31,700dwt Selin-M, 32,949dwt Marine’s A/C II system prior to
for Nippon Paint Marine’s new Nihat-M, and the 50,212dwt application.
self-polishing antifouling paint Bozburun-M scheduled to follow
In addition to antifouling,
FASTAR following an agreement in the second half of the year.
Nippon’s high-performance
to apply the novel coating to
FASTAR XI, which incorporates abrasion and corrosion resistant
five bulk carriers scheduled to
Nippon’s hydro-gel technology, Neoguard Toughness will be
drydock in China this year.
will be applied to all five vessels, applied to protect the cargo
The Panamax ships Ata-M and replacing competitors’ schemes holds, decks, hatch covers and
Toros-M will drydock at COSCO’s on two – Ata-M and Toros-M. coamings of all five vessels.
26 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021
“Nippon’s coatings expertise has commercial reference for this compared to other coating
consistently provided excellent, ground-breaking technology systems, depending on the
reliable results across our fleet,” is with a vessel operating actual ambient temperature
said Iskenderun Fleet Manager under Iskenderun’s technical during application.
Captain Cahit Kayabolen. management.
“We expect this to result in
“The performance and fuel “Iskenderun, a long-standing significant operational savings
savings achieved with recent customer for Nippon Paint for Iskenderun,” he said.
A-LF Sea applications gave Marine, has a history of investing
Ahmet Hamza, General
us the confidence to choose in solutions designed to improve
Coordinator, Iskenderun Ship
FASTAR. We are sure this new environmental efficiency. The
Management, said: “As a ship
nano-domain antifouling will company selected FASTAR due
operator the lower volume of
further enhance the propulsion to its ability to reduce emissions
paint required was very appealing
and environmental efficiency of and deliver greater asset
as it reduces drydock time. It
these ships.” protection, even during lay-up
also results in a substantial
periods.”
FASTAR, developed to reduce the reduction of Volatile Organic
volume of paint required without Niko Yamanoue, Deputy Compound (VOC) emissions
detriment to performance, was Managing Director, Nippon Paint during application.”
officially introduced to the Marine (Europe), added: “While
All Nippon Paint Marine’s
market in January this year. the benefits of the FASTAR
antifouling paints, including
system vary depending on
It is designed to deliver an FASTAR, can be applied simply
vessel size and operational
approximate 8% reduction in using standard application
profile FASTAR can reduce more
fuel consumption and CO2 from equipment. They can also be
than 50% of biocide elution than
a coating that benefits from applied over existing antifouling
conventional SPCs.”
reduced film thickness and paints, but like any marine
lower polishing rates. According to Yamanoue, coating, work best when the
application to more than twenty underwater area has been
Captain Baybora Yildirim,
vessels during trials indicated blasted.
Managing Director, Nippon
the total minimum drying time
Paint Marine (Turkey), said: MMT
can be reduced by up to 37%,
“We are delighted that our first

Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 27

Maximizing hull efficiency
will be essential for
decarbonisation

I
f shipping is to decarbonise the vessel. It is part of the black it to a specialist with high-
its operations, maximizing hull magic behind modern racing end methods. One specialized
efficiency will be essential, yachts, which are as famous for firm, Cape Horn Engineering, is
and the only way to get there is eye-catching hull forms as they applying CFD expertise honed in
through advanced engineering - are for efficiency and speed. the yacht racing world to one of
particularly computational fluid Done right, a CFD optimization the most interesting questions in
dynamics (CFD). process can improve the commercial shipping: how to put
efficiency of a ship’s design by sails back on board merchant
Developed for aerospace
as much as five percent. vessels.
applications and refined for use
in naval architecture, advanced CFD is a complex art, and while Cape Horn is part of the
CFD modeling allows engineers many larger naval architecture development team for the
to study the interactions of air and engineering firms have a Windship Technology project,
and water with the exterior of team in-house, others outsource which aims to build a cargo

28 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021

vessel that uses solid wing validating the technology’s with certainty in the real-world
sails for dramatic fuel savings. potential. Since a vessel and performance the design will have
Existing wind-assisted its sails function together, it when built. This has value for
propulsion systems like Flettner is helpful to have a unified the vessel designer, the shipyard
rotors and kite sails can reduce model that evaluates both and the operator, according to
a vessel’s fuel consumption by simultaneously, the firm says - Cape Horn.
about 10 percent, according to and this is something that CFD
the partnership, but Windship’s techniques can do. As an example, the designer
three-masted rig is expected to of a new SWATH hull vessel
achieve savings of 30 percent. “Currently, wind propulsion for offshore wind farm service
systems and ship design are needed to determine how best
The solution, called Windship considered as two entities, hence to design a stabilizer element
Auxiliary Sail Propulsion System they are designed independently. to manage trim during transits.
(WASPS), uses three sets of It is reasonable to believe that SWATH hulls tend to trim bow
solid wing sails to capture the they should be designed as a down when moving ahead at full
wind’s force. The structures are whole from the earliest stage, speed, and the design specified
all designed with composite due to the dependency of each a pair of stabilizers towards the
construction for light weight aspect on the other,” said Cape bow in order to keep the vessel
and durability, using technology Horn’s managing director, on an even keel. Complex CFD
sourced from the wind industry. Rodrigo Azcueta. analysis made it possible to
The rig is stowable for operations predict how the stabilizers would
in port. CFD expertise is also useful
affect the vessel’s trim at each
when analyzing novel or
angle and speed, allowing the
Cape Horn’s CFD business complex structures, like floating
OEM to design custom controls
started at the America’s Cup, offshore wind turbine platforms
for the stabilizers based on
where solid wing sails have been or SWATH vessel designs. As the
predicted performance - even
honed to an art. The company is cost of computing power comes
before the vessel was built.
bringing this experience to bear down, the possibility for more
on the design and evaluation detailed and comprehensive MMT
of the new Windship, including model simulation goes up, along

Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 29

Over 65% of all D
espite the introduction ten
years ago of regulations
prohibiting the use of

ships contain
asbestos materials onboard
ships, a significant number of
existing and newbuild vessels
continue to operate systems

asbestos
and machinery containing the
hazardous substance, according
to maritime testing facility
Maritec.

30 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021

As informed, more than 55% equivalent. This replacement country to country further
of in-service vessels and 50% must not be attempted by compounds the problem.
of all newbuilds were found to anyone other than trained
For example, the permissible
contain asbestos materials, and certified professionals,
threshold value for asbestos
Maritec, which carried out Maritec explained.
in the United States is 1%
asbestos surveys for IMO
“Many owners have discovered while in France it is zero. In
compliance between 2011
they have asbestos onboard Singapore, it is 0.1%.
and 2020, said.
following IHM audits and
“Countries do not necessarily
“Although newbuild ships are are anxious to address the
share the same standards or
delivered with an asbestos problem,” Alvin Lee, Maritec
asbestos restrictions,” Lee
free declaration, in many Operations Manager, said.
continued.
cases asbestos has been
“I would say the majority of
found onboard during “So, a gasket that is classified
vessels in operation contain
subsequent surveys, or port asbestos-free in Singapore or
asbestos, normally through
state inspections,” John the US may not be considered
spare parts in the form of
Rendi, General Manager, asbestos-free in, say Australia,
gaskets, pipe gaskets and
Environmental Services, New Zealand or France, where
valve packing. A ship could
Maritec, noted. the tolerance is higher when it
leave the yard free of asbestos
comes to permissible value.
“This is placing shipowners in but find itself taking spare
It’s a big problem.”
a very difficult position. It can parts from countries where
lead to fines and detentions either asbestos has not Maritec, a CTI Group company,
along with the high cost yet been banned or where advises shipowners to
associated with removal. enforcement is week. The undertake an initial ship
More importantly, if seafarers problem is very much a supply inspection by a qualified
and shipyard workers are chain issue,” he added. professional to investigate
unknowingly handling the possible presence
Pipe flange gaskets, valve
asbestos then they are at risk of asbestos-containing
packing and components
of developing a respiratory materials on board the ship
in auxiliary machinery
illness.” and, if any are identified, to
equipment, such as pumps,
locate them and assess their
Under SOLAS regulation II- compressors, condensers,
condition.
1/3-5, asbestos is banned in and oil purifiers, accounted
all ships built after 2011. Ships for more than 63% of all the The inspection should serve
built between 2002 and 2011 asbestos found on the vessels as the basis for establishing
may have asbestos fitted but surveyed. an effective maintenance and
only in certain specified areas. monitoring programme for
Other equipment where
dealing with the asbestos in
If during an IHM survey asbestos is commonly found
the ship.
asbestos is found onboard includes heat exchangers,
a ship built after 2002 — economizers, boilers, and inert MMT
except when permitted in gas systems.
certain machinery on ships
Different countries – different
built before 2011 –, then it
standards
needs to be removed within
a period of three years and Lee further said that differing
replaced with a non-asbestos asbestos restrictions from

Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 31

Oldendorff Carriers
invest in new fleets

W
e are happy to report, in China and will be taken over newbuildings, MV “Calypso”
that earlier this in India in 1H April. They are was delivered from Chengxi
year OLDENDORFF equipped with a Korean-built Shipyard on 15th January and
CARRIERS ordered two 61,300 Doosan-MAN-B&W 6S60MC sailed to North Vietnam, where
Ultramax Newbuildings for and Doosan auxiliary engines. she was commencing a 25
delivery July 2022 and acquired We already had the vessels on year transshipment CoA for a
two 93,000 tdw Post-panamaxes floating index charter for several consortium of Marubeni and
in separate transactions. years, during which they have Kepco. Her sister vessel “Anna”
shown excellent performance. will be commissioned in July.
The 61,300 Ultramaxes will be
delivered from Dalian Cosco Our last two Newcastlemax Our Handysize bulker “Lily
Kawasaki Ship Engineering Co newbuildings, MV “Heide Oldendorff” (38,000 tdw, built
Ltd (DACKS) in July 2022 and Oldendorff” and “Hauke 2017 at Avic Weihai) was sold
are of the Kawasaki eco design, Oldendorff” will be delivered from to buyers in the United Arab
of which we had previously built Hantong Shipyard in August Emirates and will deliver to them
9 units at DACKS and sister yard and October / November 2021. next month.
NACKS until 2019. The vessels They will be used in our usual
Adding these transaction and
feature Masada / Mitsubishi Capesize trades, before servicing
ships that were recently taken
cranes, bollards for the New a long term CoAs from 2023
on period charter, Oldendorff
Panama Canal, “Erma First” onwards. That will complete the
Carriers’s fleet under operation
BWTS, a Hudong-MAN-B&W series of 18 “MARIC”-design
will exceed 750 vessels.
6S50ME-B9.3 main engine and Newcastlemaxes, built over 5
a large content of equipment years at three different yards in MMT
imported from Japan, like China, of which we had sold on
Daihatsu auxiliary engines, 4 units with long term charter
Nakashima propeller, etc. back.
The two 93,000 tdw Post- The first of two highly
panamaxes were built in 2012 specialized Transloader

32 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021

Suez Canal races
to clear backlog

T
he Suez Canal expects 140 on Tuesday and a further 45 by everything is back to the way it
ships to pass on Tuesday after midnight, reasserting that he hoped was,” he later told reporters from a
the freeing of a container ship a backlog caused by the blockage platform on the canal, as container
stranded for nearly a week allowed it would be cleared in three to four ships passed behind him.
to reopen, but disruptions to global days.
shipping and at ports could take Shipping group Maersk has said
months to resolve, experts warned. However, knock-on effects to global the knock-on disruptions to
shipping and at ports could take international shipping could take
The blockage threw global much longer to resolve. weeks or months to unravel.
supply chains into disarray,
threatening costly delays for firms Though the build-up around the Rabie has said the SCA will look
already wrestling with COVID-19 Suez Canal might be cleared in four at giving discounts to shippers
restrictions, and nearly doubled to five days, it could take several affected by the stoppage.
rates for oil product tankers. months to deal with backlogs at
ports, Jan Hoffmann, an UNCTAD “We need to study it in the right way
Shipping convoys through the canal expert on logistics, told a briefing. because the number of ships is
resumed on Monday evening after large, including ships that waited for
tugs pulled the 400-metre-long Egyptian President Abdel Fattah one day, ships that waited for two
(430-yard) Ever Given container al-Sisi said the Ever Given’s days, and ships that waited for three
carrier free from the spot where it grounding had drawn attention to days or four days — not all of them
became wedged amid high winds the importance of the waterway for will take the same percentages,”
on March 23. global trade. he told a press conference late on
Monday.
The Ever Given’s grounding across “We didn’t hope for something like
a southern section of the canal this, but fate was doing its work. It The Japanese owner of the Ever
forced a halt to all traffic, leading to showed and reaffirmed the reality Given said it had not received
a build-up of 422 ships at either end and importance” of the canal, Sisi any claims or lawsuits over the
of the canal and along its course. said as he greeted staff on a visit to blockage.
the Suez Canal Authority in Ismailia.
Suez Canal Authority chairman MMT
Osama Rabie said 95 ships would “We want to reaffirm in a clear
pass by 1900 local time (1700 GMT) message to the world that

Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 33

IUMI renews focus on a
sustainable, resilient and
innovative future

S
peaking at its Spring including marine insurance.
Meeting held online last We believe that our industry
week, Richard Turner, will be affected in three ways.
President, International Union Climate change and the related
of Marine Insurance (IUMI) rise in sea levels will impact the
reinforced the association’s frequency and severity of claims.
focus on facilitating a The evolution of the transport
sustainable, resilient and assets we insure and changes to
innovative future for the marine the cargoes we protect will also
insurance industry. be significant and we are already
seeing the impact as the industry
Richard Turner explains:
adopts low sulphur fuels. And
“Environmental, Sustainability
third is the sustainability of
and Governance (ESG) issues are
our clients and the industries
impacting all forms of business,
in which they operate. It is

34 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021

becoming increasingly clear is coordinating responses from 2-15 September 2021) where
that some industries will have a wide range of stakeholders and the common theme will be
the opportunity to grow and projecting the view of marine “Pathways to a sustainable,
develop while others will shrink insurance with a common voice. resilient and innovative future”.
as the world moves to a more
Richard Turner continues. Richard Turner says, “This year’s
sustainable footing. As an
“Building on a comprehensive common theme is both optimistic
industry, we need to recognise
member survey conducted and forward looking, and we aim
these changes and adapt.”
more than a year ago, we are to cover the opportunities and
IUMI’s ongoing response is continuing our advocacy activity risks that marine insurance is
to continue its work in raising on a number of key issues. This likely to face in a continuing and
awareness of these issues to has led to the formation of a sub- post pandemic world. We will
ensure the marine insurance committee of IUMI’s executive discuss the various options and
sector is better prepared to committee to focus specifically pathways that marine insurance
respond adequately. More on ESG issues. In addition, we should pursue to ensure
directly, the association is are proud to be a supporting sustainability, both in terms of
actively lobbying to raise relevant institution of the UN’s Principles ESG issues but also to maintain
issues, monitor response and for Sustainable Insurance.” marine underwriting as a healthy
agitate for change. Many issues and resilient activity.”
ESG issues will be further
already on IUMI’s policy agenda
reinforced at this year’s IUMI MMT
have a sustainability impact
annual conference (staged
including arctic sailing and low
virtually from Seoul, Korea
sulphur fuels. Additionally, IUMI

Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 35

Making smart ports
a reality
W
hile the COVID-19 operational efficiencies, used as part of the common
pandemic has had a reducing fuel costs and shipping vernacular for many
devastating impact associated emissions, improving years. However, the benefits of
on society and many national sustainability; all in the name of digitalisation and the ‘smart
and local economies, it has – optimising the performance of port’ status remain the preserve
alongside the recent incident in the vessel as it moves goods of only a few large ‘Tier 1’
the Suez Canal – also served from A to B. ports that have the profile and
to highlight the fundamental resources. This digital divide has
importance of the maritime However, while shipping should
created a polarised landscape
industry to keep supply chains be lauded for this progressive
within the port sector, negatively
moving; providing the world with approach – particularly for
impacting the entire ecosystem.
the critical medical supplies, a traditionally conservative
food and consumer goods that industry when it comes to new Indeed, many of the ‘Tier 2 and
are so important in our daily technology uptake – there below’ ports still use manual
lives, particularly in the current are inconsistencies within the processes or Excel spreadsheets
climate. supply chain, particularly in the to arrange and execute jobs and
critically important ‘first and rely on personal interaction and
It has also accelerated the last mile’, where the wider port paper-based transactions as
importance and pace of environment is hosted. the norm for exchanges. This
digitalisation within shipping inevitability leads to a range
and maritime sector. Increasing We’ve all heard of the phrase
of short-term inefficiencies in
‘smart ports’, which has been

36 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021

ordering, execution, and billing, as significant. As an example, ports, such as Singapore and
well as long-term sustainability, towage operators miss out on Tanjung Priok in Indonesia, for
impacting profitability, as well as the chance to make substantial over a decade in some cases,
creating challenges in relation savings on their annual fuel enabling hundreds of thousands
to remaining competitive. The costs by reducing the mileage of dollars of savings per year.
current dynamic reflects the of tugs, while also missing out In Tanjung Priok, marineM has
often-messy reality of port on saving yearly maintenance saved $155,000 in annual fuel
operations, and the awkward costs and personnel costs on costs by reducing mileage by
blend of high-tech digital their towage vessels. 20% and $90,000 in annual
and manual processes. This maintenance costs and $150k
inevitably causes interoperability There is no legitimate reason
per year in reduced incidents.
issues, where systems are not why digitalisation seems to have
talking to each other properly, only been reserved for the larger The 80% of ports that are
which is impeding effective top-tier ports and established missing out on digitalisation can
execution. towage operators and the make meaningful strides now to
imbalance must be addressed. secure their short and long-term
Crucially, this dynamic makes future. Clearly, the digitalisation
the ‘last mile’ of a journey at sea The reality is that there are
of ports should not be for the few
a weak link in the global logistics software and technologies
but for the many, and we must
chain, opening up risks of delays, that exist, like the Innovez One
strive to create a fair and level
late payments, increased fuel marineM platform, which can
playing field within the global
consumption and emissions, help ports increase the efficiency,
ports’ marketplace.
reduced revenues, and even sustainability and profitability
safety concerns stemming of their operations and improve This is not just for the benefit of
from a lack of traceability for their commercial success and the smaller ports – which play a
80% of ports globally who are competitiveness, right now and crucial role in transporting the
missing out on the benefits of for the future. Most importantly, 90% of global trade chain – but
digitalisation. the tangible benefits and return- for the future sustainability of
on-investment are well proven. the entire maritime industry.
The ramifications and missed
commercial and operational Indeed, marineM has been MMT
opportunities for ports are used in some of Asia’s busiest

Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 37

Indian Major Ports freight traffic
shows year-on-year increase for
5th consecutive month

F
reight traffic handled by 12 at Kandla handled the highest in 2020-21 to 71.03 million
major ports in the country traffic in 2020-21 at 117.56 tonne.
contracted 4.6 percent year million tonne, followed by
on year to 672.61 million tonne Paradip port at 114.55 million Raw fertilizer traffic rose 14,7
in FY 2020-21 due to disruptions tonne. percent on year to 7.57 million
caused by the COVID-19 tonne, and finished fertilizer
pandemic mainly in the first Petroleum, oil, and lubricants, traffic rose 11.3 percent to 10.38
half of the year, data released which account for about a third million tonne.
on April 5 by the Indian Ports of the total freight traffic at
major ports, fell 12.8% on year to Traffic of other cargo also rose
Association showed. 2.4 percent on year to 72.83
206.75 million tonne in 2020-21.
Ports’ freight traffic showed Container traffic, the next largest million tonne in 2020-21, the
a year-on-year increase for segment, declined 2.1 percent to government data showed.
the fifth consecutive month 143.74 million tonne. MMT
in March. Ports’ freight traffic
boomed in March, rising 16.4 Thermal and coking coal traffic
percent on year, the largest in at declined 15.4 percent and 5.2
least a year. percent, respectively, during the
period. Iron ore freight traffic, on
Among ports, Deendayal port other hand, surged 29.1 percent

38 | Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021

Maritime Matrix Today | April 2021 | 39