JUPITER SEA & AIR SERVICES PVT. LTD, EGMORE – CHENNAI, INDIA.
E-MAIL : Robert.sands@jupiterseaair.co.in
Mobile : +91 98407 85202
Corporate
News Letter for Wednesday November 01, 2023.
:: Today’s Exchange Rates ::
Source : The Economic Times. R
|
CURRENCY |
PRICE |
CHANGE |
%CHANGE |
OPEN |
PREV.CLOSE |
DAY's LOW-HIGH |
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83.25 |
-0.010002 |
-0.012013 |
83.26 |
83.26 |
83.245- 83.28 |
|
|
1.0615 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
1.0615 |
1.0615 |
1.0591- 1.0675 |
|
|
101.3468 |
0.383804 |
0.380144 |
101.0955 |
100.963 |
101.0671- 101.3846 |
|
|
88.5635 |
0.4813 |
0.546422 |
88.2082 |
88.0822 |
88.1732- 88.6486 |
|
|
150.929 |
1.828995 |
1.22669 |
149.10 |
149.10 |
149.028- 150.976 |
|
|
1.2152 |
-0.0018 |
-0.14791 |
1.217 |
1.217 |
1.2137- 1.2201 |
|
|
106.078 |
-0.042 |
-0.039578 |
106.154 |
106.12 |
106.059- 106.453 |
|
|
0.5536 |
-0.0052 |
-0.93056 |
0.5583 |
0.5588 |
0.5533- 0.5586 |
/// Sea Cargo News ///
India
to surpass Japan to become second largest economy in Asia by 2030: S&P
Global
India, the world's fifth largest economy in the world, is likely
to overtake Japan to become the world's third-largest economy with a GDP of
$7.3 trillion by 2030, S&P Global Market Intelligence said in its latest
issue of PMI.
After two years of rapid
economic growth in 2021 and 2022, the Indian economy has continued to show
sustained strong growth during the 2023 calendar year. India's gross domestic
product (GDP) is expected to grow 6.2-6.3 per cent in the fiscal year ending in
March 2024, being the fastest-growing major economy this fiscal year.
Asia's third-largest economy
grew by a stellar 7.8 per cent in the April-June quarter. ''The near-term
economic outlook is for continued rapid expansion during the remainder of 2023
and for 2024, underpinned by strong growth in domestic demand,'' S&P Global
said.
The acceleration of foreign
direct investment inflows into India over the past decade reflects the
favourable long-term growth outlook for the Indian economy, helped by a
youthful demographic profile and rapidly rising urban household incomes.
India
to use Gulf based entities to source equipment for Chabahar Port
India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL) is working on options to buy cranes
and other container handling equipment for Chabahar Port in Iran, including an
arrangement whereby an entity based in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or Sharjah will source
the gears which will be passed on to the India-funded port as New Delhi looks
at ways to break a six-year jinx surrounding equipment purchase that has
stalled start of full-fledged operations.
The move comes after India Ports
Global, the state-owned entity formed to develop and run the India-funded
Chabahar Port in Iran, scrapped tenders floated a year ago to buy cranes and
other container handling equipment in September due to no shows by suppliers
even after several extensions of time to place price quotations.
“We are now going ahead without
tenders for acquiring equipment for Chabahar Port,” a government source with
knowledge of the matter said. “We are looking at a different plan and are in
discussions with a few suppliers directly to move quickly on buying equipment
for Chabahar Port,” he said.
Iran wanted Chabahar Port to
handle higher volumes to take the load off Bander Abbas Port, the largest in
that country. “ To become a proper container terminal, Chabahar Port need
RMQC’s. Containers can be handled at
Chabahar with mobile harbour cranes, but it will not bring efficiencies, though
the volume now is not so much that efficiency is a criterion. Since volumes are not large, containers
arriving on ships can be unloaded using the mobile harbour cranes”, a shipping
industry source said.
Currently Chabahar Port handles
30,000 to 40,000 TEU’s a year and some 2 Million Tons of bulk cargo. The shipping industry source said that
Chabahar’s ability to handle large container volumes are crimped by the absence
of mainline container ships calling at the port to unload or load cargoes.
Now,
shipping firms come under GST lens
The shipping industry is under
the lens of goods and services tax (GST) authorities for payment of past dues
of integrated GST on ocean freight. The shipping industry is under the lens of
GST authorities for payment of past IGST dues on ocean freight.
Further, some ocean liners are
also being investigated on booking operational expenses to the head offices
located abroad instead of the local branch offices.
According to sources, both the
issues are being investigated by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence.
The overall tax liability of the sector may run into atleast Rs 2 lakh crore to
Rs 2.5 lakh crore, experts note.
The government has from October
1 this year exempted ocean freight from integrated GST (IGST) of 5% in line
with the Supreme Court ruling in the Mohit Minerals case.
The apex court had in May 2022
held that if the Indian importer is paying IGST on the “composite supply” of
goods and services and supply of services of Cost Insurance and Freight, they
do not need to pay IGST separately for supply of services or freight. Until
last month, importers paid 5% GST under the reverse charge mechanism for this
but was seen as double taxation.
However, while the finance
ministry notification takes care of this issue prospectively, experts note that
previous cases are still under investigation by the DGGI.
Bimal Jain, Founder A2Z Taxcorp
LLP said that while the government has exempted payments made for goods
imported through ocean freight 5% integrated GST with effect from October 01,
the issue remains a matter of debate in past cases prior to October 01, 2023.
“The DGGI had already initiated investigations against many ocean freight
liners and has sought recovery of past dues,” Jain said.
Meanwhile, foreign shipping
liners that are operating under which model in India are also understood to be
under investigation of the DGGI for alleged evasion of taxes on import of
services as they book operational costs for rent and salaries to the head
office. Under GST laws, this is seen to be an import of services and attracts
tax.
Sources said shipping liners are
in talks with the finance ministry on both issues and are hoping for some
relief. However, a decision on this issue has not been taken as of now.
Hapag-Lloyd
installs tracking devices on 700,000 containers
Hapag-Lloyd has announced the installation of its 700,000th
tracking device, describing it as "an important moment on its path to
creating the world’s largest smart container fleet".
On Monday (23 October), at the company’s headquarters in
Hamburg, Germany’s Federal Minister of Digital and Transport, Dr Volker
Wissing, personally installed the device on a container.
Wissing stated, “Digitalisation offers great opportunities for
the transport industry. One sign of this is the progress made by Hapag-Lloyd in
building an intelligent container fleet. Such advances not only benefit
shipping, they strengthen Germany as a location for innovation and contribute
to our vision of a better connected and more efficient transport sector.”
Additionally, Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen commented, “We
are proud to be at the forefront of the digitalisation of container shipping.
Our ‘Smart Container Fleet’ project is about transforming the industry and
setting new standards for supply-chain transparency and customer service.”
The German ocean carrier is on course to becoming the world’s
first container shipping line to equip its entire container fleet of 1.6
million dry containers with real-time tracking devices.
Hapag-Lloyd pointed out that dry container monitoring will be a
"game-changer", with real-time tracking technology permanently
installed on and gathering data from standard containers, enhancing visibility
and answering the crucial question: “Where is my container now?”
The solar battery-powered tracking devices, equipped with
internal sensors and GPS, will transmit data through the cell network in
addition to recording shock events and ambient temperature, according to the
company, which said the devices are explosion-proof according to established
standards ensuring safety for crews, cargo, and vessels.
The vast majority of Hapag-Lloyd’s box fleet will be smart by
the beginning of 2024. At around the same time, Hapag-Lloyd is planning to
launch a corresponding commercial product called “Live Position”.
Port of
Rotterdam reports container decline in 2023 so far
Port of
RotterdamThe Port of Rotterdam has handled 10.2 million TEUs in the first
nine months of 2023, translating to a 7.2% decline compared with the same
period last year. Additionally, the Dutch port has moved 329.9 million tonnes,
compared to 351 million tonnes in the same months in 2022.
"Global demand for freight is still lower than in 2022 as a
result of inflation, limited economic growth, geopolitical tensions and higher
spending on services rather than products," said the major European port
pointing out that "this has a knock-on effect on the throughput of
containers in Rotterdam."
Moreover, roll-on/roll-off traffic (-3.8%) and other general
cargo (-13.7%) fell as a result of reduced consumer spending, large stocks and
lower investments. The total throughput in the breakbulk segment decreased by
6%.
Furthermore, the dry bulk segment declined by a total of 11.9%
in the first nine months of the year, while coal throughput fell significantly
(-16.8%), mainly because less coal was fired in power plants.
The liquid bulk segment also experienced a drop of 2.4%, while
the throughput of LNG rose slightly by 0.4%, as more LNG was imported to
replace Russian pipeline gas. The throughput of crude oil fell by 1.9% as a
result of increased maintenance work to the refineries, which reduced the
supply of crude oil. Mineral oil products dropped by 3.1%.
"The decline was mainly related to the throughput of
containers and coal. Throughput of iron ore and scrap, agricultural bulk and
LNG increased," noted the port in a statement.
Boudewijn Siemons, interim CEO and COO of Port of Rotterdam
Authority, commented, "The economy has not yet recovered and this
continues to impact throughput figures. In spite of less throughput, we are
committed to investing in a vital and climate-neutral port. In the third
quarter, we reached an important milestone in the CO2 transport and storage
project, Porthos."
Cyclone
threat closes Oman’s Salalah Port
Port of SalalahSalalah Port, Oman's major cargo gateway and a notable
transshipment hub for the West Asia region, halted operations on October 22,
2023 until October 24, in the wake of a severe storm heading towards
the southern part of the country.
According to the latest weather reports, Cyclone Tej is expected
to make landfall along the coast late on 24 October or early 25 October. According to container carrier sources, while
berthing delays are imminent, some vessels are likely to skip scheduled calls
to the port.
Salalah Port is managed by APM Terminals, providing container
capacity of some 5 million TEUs annually, according to available information.
Maersk has several weekly calls at Salalah. The Danish carrier’s network
calling there includes the ME7 between South India and Europe, which rotates
Ennore, Colombo, Salalah, Algeciras, Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven,
Jeddah, Salalah, Colombo and Ennore.
“We expect about six to seven vessels to be impacted, either
delayed or omitted,” a Maersk source noted. Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC)’s
premier HEX (Himalaya Express) routing, connecting West India and Europe, also
calls at Salalah.
The Arabian Sea and its surrounding regions are often prone to
cyclones and severe weather, wreaking havoc on normal life and supply chains.
In 2018, operations at Salalah Port remained shut for several
days as a consequence of extensive damage caused by Cyclone Mekunu. Salalah is
a multi-purpose port, equipped with facilities to handle bulk, liquid and other
general cargoes.
However, according to reports, the storm is unlikely to cause
any major disruptions on India’s Gujarat coast and as such, no port service
suspension warnings for the region have been issued.
ONE
accelerates digitalization by carrying out e-BDN adoption trial
Mr. Jeremy
Nixon, CEO of ONE; Mr. Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA; Ms. Melissa Rogers
Williams, President of Shell Marine in front of ONE TRUTH for e-BDN trial;
Photo credit to Manifold TimesOcean Network Express (ONE) is accelerating its digitalization
efforts with the latest successful trial with Shell, with assistance from the
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), for the adoption of the
electronic Bunker Delivery Note (e-BDN).
The e-BDN trial, which used Angsana Technology's digital
bunkering technology, took place on 9 September 2023, in the Port of
Singapore. As part of the trial, the cargo officer, chief engineer, and bunker
surveyor used their unique link and one-time password to access the
platform and complete the electronic bunkering documentation for pre-delivery
and post-delivery. The bunkering documentation was completed and sent out to
all parties before the vessels sailed.
"MPA is encouraged by the successful completion of the
digital bunkering trial and we look forward to implementing electronic
bunkering processes and documentation in the Port of Singapore progressively
from November 2023 onwards," stated Teo Eng Dih, chief executive of MPA.
The adoption of e-BDN has long been a focal point for the
digitalization of international shipping. ONE has already undertaken a
number of rounds of e-BDN trials in collaboration with partners.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) authorized the
adoption of bunker delivery notes (BDNs) in both hard copy and digital versions
at the MEPC80 session in July 2023, providing they fulfill the necessary
standards of MARPOL Annex VI.
The e-BDN trial by ONE and Shell also comes ahead of the MPA's
introduction of its digital bunkering project, which will adopt electronic
bunkering procedures and documentation on 1 November 2023, saving the bunker
industry about 39,000 man-days per year.
Teo Eng Dih commented, "Apart from ensuring more secured
and transparent operations when used with Mass Flow Meters, e-BDN will help
build higher levels of trust amongst bunker buyers, suppliers, and financial
institutions, and enable a more efficient and resilient ecosystem.
The adoption of digital documentation at scale will help reduce
business costs at the port ecosystem level and bring greater value to
stakeholders across the entire bunkering value chain."
From LA to
Shanghai, ports, cities and box lines partner to reduce emissions
Concerns about climate change have prompted businesses all around the world to reconsider their shipping tactics. Companies in the supply chain industry are changing their procedures to satisfy demand as customers become increasingly interested in sustainable solutions.
A partnership of leading maritime goods movement stakeholders, including the Californian ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the port of Shanghai in China, as well as some of the world's largest shipping lines, has developed a Green Shipping Corridor Implementation Plan Outline to accelerate emission reductions on one of the world's busiest container shipping routes.
Moreover, C40 Cities, a global network of mayors aiming to provide the urgent action required to address the climate issue, assisted in drafting the plan. C40 serves as the Green Shipping Corridor's facilitator, assisting cities, ports, and corridor partners by organising, convening, facilitating, and providing communications support in support of the corridor's aims.
The
involved parties are still discussing the technologies and the digital systems
that will need to be implemented. The Port of Los Angeles will collaborate with
the participating shipping lines, such as CMA CGM, COSCO, Ocean Network Express
(ONE), Maersk and Evergreen, to identify the best viable practices for the
vessel requirements while simultaneously meeting the corridor's climate
targets.
A
Port of Los Angeles (POLA) representative told Container News the decisions about the
technologies and digital systems that will be implemented are expected to be
heavily affected by factors such as scalability, fuel supply, and demand.
The
green shipping corridor plan asks for more investment in energy-efficient
shipping equipment, as well as a speedier transition to alternative, low-carbon
fuels to minimise maritime transportation's carbon impact. Therefore,
e-methanol, hydrogen and ammonia have been discussed as possible solutions, but
not necessarily adopted.
According
to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) data, emissions
of greenhouse gases from the world's marine fleet are increasing. They
increased by 4.7% between 2020 and 2021, with container ships, dry bulk
carriers, and general cargo vessels accounting for the majority of the
increase.
The
average age of the fleet, like emissions, is growing, which is a problem for
the environment because older ships pollute more. The current average age of
ships is 21.9 years, and 11.5 years by carrying capacity.
Moreover,
ships are becoming older in part because shipowners are unsure about future
technological advancements and the most cost-effective fuels, as well as
shifting laws and carbon costs.
"Ocean
carriers will ultimately make their own decisions regarding the deployment of
new ships and/or the repowering of older vessels. We do anticipate the need for
new vessels on the corridor as part of this effort, but cannot state when or
how many at this time," a Port of Los Angeles spokesperson pointed out.
The International
Maritime Organization (IMO) is targeting a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions by
2050, but that only applies to international shipping – not ports and local
shipping. Port cities have a critical role to play in filling that gap.
In
response to this, the Port of Los Angeles stated that as part of the
initiative, all the involved ports will collaborate on port and local
emissions. Each port has worked independently and collaboratively to create
local emissions reduction technology.
Providing
power to ships at berth and/or managing emissions using various at-berth
technologies, demonstrating and implementing zero-emissions cargo handling
equipment, and introducing low/zero-emissions assist/tug vessels are examples
of such technologies.
"The
Ports will exchange best practices and work together to build new demonstration
initiatives," noted POLA's representative.
Kale
Logistics says 30% of ports not ready to meet IMO’s January 2024 digital
mandate
Kale Logistics Solutions has published a readiness survey of 200
ports that revealed 30% are not prepared to adopt the International Maritime
Organisation's (IMO's) Maritime Single Window (MSW) mandate, which becomes
compulsory worldwide from 1 January 2024.
Kale highlighted the urgency for the industry to speed up its
digital transformation as it unveiled the survey results, which also cited high
implementation costs, long timelines, and varying levels of digital readiness
as leading factors hindering regulatory compliance.
The study involved ports located throughout the Asia Pacific,
Middle East, Europe, Africa, North America, and South America, and emphasised
that Port Community Systems embedded with an MSW are integral to achieving the
true potential of a port.
"The purpose of this study was to identify the tangible
benefits the maritime industry can achieve with technology intervention, and
the results showed potential savings of up to US$50 billion annually by using
MSW platforms," said Vineet Malhotra, co-founder and director of Kale
Logistics Solutions.
"However, these benefits are subject to 100% adoption of
the MSW, and our report reveals that ports are encountering a number of
barriers that hinder this digitalisation. The MSW concept has the potential to
revolutionise the international shipping industry," added Malhotra.
MSW platforms bring major sustainability benefits by digitising
documentation, streamlining processes, and improving information exchange,
resulting in reduced paper usage and more efficient vessel management,
ultimately lowering emissions and environmental impact.
On average 12 agencies collaborate on one ship-shore operation,
and the MSW simplifies documentary procedures between all actors involved and
ensures information only needs to be inputted once.
Kale’s MSW platform is compliant with IMO standards and enables
information and documentation to be transferred electronically between maritime
and port stakeholders, which will become a compulsory requirement from the
start of 2024.
"The importance of this study will sow the seed for a
digital revolution in the maritime industry worldwide, demonstrating how
digitisation can not only bring order to the ongoing chaotic operations in the
industry but also achieve significant sustainability goals in the long
run," noted Malhotra.
The report was released by Shyam Jagannathan, Director General
of Shipping, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India, at
the Global Maritime India Summit in Mumbai, India.
/// Air Cargo News ///
Adani
Ports incorporates new co Udanvat involved in owning and leasing aircraft
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZL) on Monday
incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary company “Udanvat Leasing IFSC Limited”
which is involved in the business of owning and leasing of aircrafts, the
company informed in an exchange filing.
The new company is situated in
GIFT City, Gandhinagar and is yet commence its operations , the Gautam Adani
led company further said. Udanvat has an authorized and paid-up share capital
of Rs. 2.5 crore which is divided into 25,00,000 equity shares of Rs 10 each.
The Adani Group has been
actively foraying into the aviation industry as it had also incorporated Adani
Aviation Fuels Limited in September 2022. This subsidiary was set up to be
involved with sourcing, transporting, supplying and trading of aviation related
fuels.
Cathay sees peak perks for
cargo
Cathay Cargo is expecting increased cargo loads for the traditional peak air cargo season. Tim Wong, general manager cargo service delivery at Cathay Cargo said that the air cargo market is “beginning to warm up”.
“There is no doubt that the air-cargo market is beginning to warm up both from a seasonal peak perspective, but also ahead of the annual ‘shopping holidays’ of Black Friday in the US and Europe and Singles’ Day in the Chinese Mainland.
“As was the case over the summer, this is being led by exports,
particularly e-commerce and consumer goods, from the Greater Bay Area.” However, he added that shortages of aircraft
spare parts is temporarily causing changes to freighter schedules.
“We have also been experiencing some temporary disruptions to
our freighter schedule. This is a consequence of some of the issues that are
affecting the wider aviation supply chain, particularly the availability of
spare parts.”
He warned: “We will be carrying out a preventative maintenance
programme, which may mean some programmed cancellations.” Meanwhile, Cathay reported improved cargo
demand in September, the start of the traditional peak period.
The airline carried 119,963 tonnes of cargo last month, an
increase of 15.3% compared with September 2022. The month’s cargo revenue tonne
kilometres (RFTKs) increased 16.9% year on year. The cargo load factor
decreased by 5.3 percentage points to 61.1%, while capacity, measured in
available cargo tonne kilometres (AFTKs), increased by 26.9% year on year.
In the first nine months of 2023, the tonnage increased by
20.1% against a 77.7% increase in capacity and a 53.8% increase in RFTKs,
compared with the same period for 2022.
Chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau said: “On the
cargo side, September marked the start of the traditional peak period and
demand strengthened across most of the network compared with the previous
month. Capacity also grew as passenger services were added on some key cargo
routes.” Lau said that, as with
previous months, e-commerce is helping growth.
“E-commerce remained a bright spot, particularly on the Americas
trade lanes. Our mail business continued to gain momentum, with several post
offices around the world adopting our newly launched Cathay Mail solution to
improve their customer experience.” The
airline is positive on cargo demand until the end of the year.
Aercap delivers its first A321P2F
aircraft to IndiGo
NYSE-listed
AerCap Holdings delivered its first Airbus A321 Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F)
aircraft to IndiGo. The aircraft conversion was completed by Elbe Flugzeugwerke
(EFW) before being delivered to IndiGo at ST Engineering Aerospace in
Singapore, says a release from AerCap.
"We
are delighted to celebrate the delivery of AerCap's first A321
Passenger-to-Freighter aircraft with our long standing customer IndiGo,"
says Rich Greener, Head, AerCap Cargo. "The A321P2F is a best-in-class
narrowbody freighter solution, offering superior economics in terms of
fuel-efficiency and flexibility to meet the growing demand of cargo operators.
We
wish IndiGo every success as they expand their fleet to meet their customers'
freighter needs, and we thank the EFW and ST Engineering Aerospace teams for
their support with this conversion programme."
Jordi
Boto, CEO, EFW adds: "We are pleased that our customer, AerCap, the
world's largest aviation lessor, has taken delivery of their very first Airbus
freighter for its customer IndiGo.
We
look forward to supporting AerCap's commitment to expanding its A321P2F fleet
over the next two years with numerous deliveries of our freighter
conversions." In 2022, AerCap announced it had placed a firm order for 15
Airbus A321-200 P2F aircraft conversions and an option for a further 15 A321P2F
conversions with EFW, the release added.
MSC Air Cargo joins TIACA to drive excellence
MSC Air Cargo
has joined The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA). Jannie Davel,
senior vice president air cargo at MSC Air Cargo, said in a LinkedIn post on
October 19 that the move is a “significant milestone in our journey towards
excellence in the air cargo industry.” Davel added, “At MSC Air Cargo, we are
committed to delivering innovative solutions and world-class service to our
clients.
Joining TIACA
aligns perfectly with our mission to continually improve and stay at the
forefront of industry developments. “TIACA’s global network and expertise will
empower us to connect, collaborate, and contribute to the growth and innovation
of air cargo on a global scale.
We look forward to engaging with fellow members, sharing
insights, and collectively shaping the future of air cargo.” TIACA represents
the global air cargo community: shippers, freight forwarders, ground handlers,
airports, airlines, manufacturers, solution providers as well as cargo media,
universities and academia.
IAG Cargo adds winter
capacity
IAG Cargo
shipments loading on aircraft Photo IAG Cargo via Hill+Knowlton Strategies
IAG Cargo will benefit from increased capacity on bellyhold
flights this winter with the addition of extra frequencies and new routes for
the season, from the end of October to March 2024.
The cargo division of International Airlines Group (IAG) will
have belly space on 14 flights a week between London and Miami, 14 weekly
flights between London and Doha, and 17 services linking the UK capital with
Cape Town.
Accra will also gain frequencies, as reported by Air Cargo News earlier
this month. From the carrier’s Madrid
hub, meanwhile, there will be extra space on routes to Bogota, Santiago, Quito
and Santa Domingo.
A statement said the winter schedule includes restarting Boeing
777-200 services from London Gatwick to Cape Town and Costa Rica.
An extra daily service to Doha has been introduced from London
Heathrow, while services to Miami have resumed from Dublin. Capacity will also
be available between Rio De Janeiro and Buenos Aires, IAG Cargo said, adding
that there will be three more weekly services between Barcelona and Buenos
Aires in a further expansion of its Latin American coverage.
Camilo Garcia Cervera, chief sales and marketing officer at IAG
Cargo, said: “We are delighted to announce the new winter schedule for IAG
Cargo, which will provide increased capacity and more options for our
customers.
“IAG Cargo operates in over 60 countries and these additional
services will allow us to further support international trade to maintain a
robust global economy in the run-up to the holiday season.”
321 Precision Conversions
gains China’s approval for A321-200 freighter conversion
Aircraft Transport Services Group (ATSG) and Precision Aircraft
Solutions (PAS) joint venture 321 Precision Conversions has received approval
from China for its A321-200PCF freighter conversion.
“321 Precision Conversions is pleased to announce the Civil
Aviation Administration of China validated the A321-200PCF freighter conversion
STC ST02716SE as VSTC1084,” said the company in a press release.
“This certification further validates the Precision design and enables the most fuel efficient A321-200 freighter conversion to operate in China.” The first aircraft, “MSN 1926”, was inducted by Sichuan Aviation Industry Development Co., Ltd. (SAID). The modification and maintenance activities were carried out by Sichuan Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Co., Ltd. (SMECO).
This aircraft is expected to be redelivered to Sichuan Airlines
in November. Sichuan Airlines will be the first A321 freighter operator in
China and will utilize the 321 Precision Conversions modification.
Zach Young, director of sales and marketing at 321 Precision
Conversions, said: “We are excited to celebrate this milestone in the worldwide
certification process as the first A321 conversion STC to obtain CAAC approval.
The CAAC has determined that our A321 cargo conversion has met stringent safety
and technical certification standards.”
The A321-200PCF provides (14) A-Code 88 x 125-inch main deck
positions and (10) ULD positions in the lower hold when equipped.
Capability is increased by optimising the operating empty weight
(OEW) rather than imposing costly weight upgrades, said 321 Precision
Conversions.
The company added that no permanent ballast installation in the
aft main deck yields a lower fuel burn, lower carbon footprint, friendly CG,
and higher standard payload.
The 321 Precision Conversions STC is applicable to both V2500
and CFM engine variants and multiple thrust ratings.
SAID is a joint venture between Sichuan Airlines Co., Ltd.,
Sichuan Development Aviation Industry Investment Group Co., Ltd and Sichuan
Airlines Logistics Co., Ltd. to provide A321 passenger to freighter conversions
services and other aircraft maintenance services.
SAID inducts MSN 1926 as the first article B-Registered CAAC
aircraft and introduces it into domestic Chinese freighter operation.
SMECO established a professional maintenance system led by
Airbus A320 series aircraft and obtained the maintenance qualification licenses
from CAAC, FAA, EASA, JMM, etc.
The company’s main operation base is located in Chengdu ShuangLiu International Airport (CTU) and the sub base is located in Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU), China.
I reckon you have enjoyed
reading the above useful information.
Have a nice day.
Thanks & kind regards
ROBERT
SANDS, Joint Managing Director
Jupiter
Sea & Air Services Pvt Ltd
Casa
Blanca, 3rd Floor
11, Casa
Major Road, Egmore
Chennai –
600 008. India.
GST Number
: 33AAACJ2686E1ZS.
Tel : + 91
44 2819 0171 / 3734 / 4041
Fax : + 91
44 2819 0735
Mobile : +
91 98407 85202
E-mail : robert.sands@jupiterseaair.co.in
Website : www.jupiterseaair.com
Branches
: Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Tirupur and Tuticorin.
Associate Offices : New Delhi, Kolkatta, Cochin & Hyderabad.
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