JUPITER SEA & AIR
SERVICES PVT. LTD, EGMORE – CHENNAI, INDIA.
E-MAIL : Robert.sands@jupiterseaair.co.in Mobile : +91 98407 85202
Corporate News
Letter for Saturday - August
23, 2025
Today’s
Exchange Rates
|
CURRENCY▲ |
PRICE |
CHANGE |
%CHANGE |
OPEN |
PREV.CLOSE |
|
87.52 |
0.25 |
0.286467 |
87.35 |
87.27 |
|
|
1.1727 |
0.0121 |
1.042573 |
1.1606 |
1.1606 |
|
|
117.406 |
0.194305 |
-0.165225 |
117.1422 |
117.6003 |
|
|
101.5013 |
-0.2061 |
-0.202641 |
101.3419 |
101.7074 |
|
|
146.624 |
1.746002 |
-1.176789 |
148.37 |
148.37 |
|
|
1.354 |
0.0128 |
0.954368 |
1.3412 |
1.3412 |
|
|
98.731 |
0.112 |
0.113568 |
98.60 |
98.619 |
|
|
0.5885 |
-0.0026 |
-0.43985 |
0.5884 |
0.5911 |
/// Sea Cargo News ///
Vizhinjam
Port to install India’s first shore tension system for safer, faster ship
operation
Vizhinjam Port is set to introduce a state-of-the-art dynamic mooring system, known as the shore tension system, to prevent ships from being caught in surges and sway while docked. The machinery, sourced from the Netherlands, is expected to arrive within days and be deployed within a month.
According to a port official, the supplier will also train local staff to operate the system, which automatically adjusts the tension of mooring lines to counter wave pressure and surges, reducing stress on the ropes and ensuring safety.
Recommended by Mediterranean Shipping
Company (MSC), whose ships frequently use the port, this will be the first such
installation in any Indian port. The technology is expected to speed up
container loading and unloading, cut ship turnaround times, and allow vessels
to berth closer together — even during rough seas or strong winds. It will also
enhance semi-automated unloading operations, ensuring vessel stability.
Initiallh, the system will be trialled
for exim (International Trade) operations, which are scheduled to commence by
year end. Currently, ships at Vizhinjam are moored manually using heavy ropes,
but the new system will prevent snapping under pressure.
As of last month, Vizhinjam Port has
handled over 392 ships, including 23 ultra-large container vessels and
processed 8.36 Lakh containers.
COSCO dominates Far East-India, Middle East/Red Sea trade lane
The Chinese group COSCO is the most dominant player in the Far East-India/Middle East/Red Sea trade market. A review by Alphaliner reveals that Asian carriers dominate the vast majority of lines on this route, with European operators generally being mainline carriers.
"The only exception here is Denmark’s Unifeeder, which is, however, controlled by the Dubai-based DP World, so that the route corridor is one of Unifeeder's home turfs," reads the Alphaliner post on X.
COSCO Group, including both COSCO
Shipping and OOCL Logistics, is in the lead position with about 250,000 TEU of
capacity deployed, which represents 12.7% of all operated slots in the trade.
"The group is also the only player
that operates 'Megamaxes' on this corridor. Its 'MEA5' service, part of the
OCEAN Alliance network, is run with five such vessels, averaging some 19,000
teu, as of the start of July," it reads.
Among the Europeans, MSC (8.8%) and CMA
CGM (8.5%) are the biggest players, ranked second and third after COSCO Group.
“The French carrier is amongst the rare mainline operators that still, in July,
offers dedicated service between the Far East and the Red Sea. CMA CGM operates
the “REX2” with a fleet of 3,700 – 8500 TEU Vessels”.
Maersk, despite being the global number
2, only operates some 4% of all slots in this trade lane, landing it in 9th
place. “Its Gemini Partner Hapag Lloyd is ranked even lower and placed at 19
with just 1.6% of overall slot deployment”.
India commissions South Korea-built LPG carrier Sahyadri
A day before the 79th Independence day, the Shipping Ministry inducted Sahyadri, a very large gas carrier (VLGC), which will transport LPG between the Persian Gulf and India, securing a vital energy lifeline.
The vessel, named after the mountain
range along India’s western coast, is now part of the fleet of state-run
Shipping Corporation of India Ltd. It is after a gap of eight years that an
Indian public sector unit has acquired a VLGC. The ministry was keen on
meeting the August 15 deadline, so that the tricolour could symbolically be
hoisted atop the ship by August 15.
The hoisting was carried out atop the
vessel at Hamad port in Qatar on Thursday in the presence of the Indian crew of
the ship, who were there to take charge of it. Officials said the
acquisition is a step towards building a self-reliant, globally competitive
shipping sector and reducing dependence on foreign tonnage for strategic cargo.
“Every addition to our fleet is a step
towards a stronger, self reliant maritime India. With the growing fleet of
Indian flagged vessels, we are moving towards enabling our maritime goal of
becoming Atmanirbhar and propel the economic growth towards becoming a Viksit
Bharat, the vision of our PM, said Union Minister Sonowal. It is also a matter
of pride that this addition comes as the nation celebrated its 79th
Independence Day.
Sahyadri meets stringent international
safety and environmental standards, said a ministry note. “The South Korea
built 225 meter long, 36 meter wide carrier can transport up to 82,000 cubic
meters of LPG. The induction raises SCI’s deadweight tonnage to 5.2 Million and
its owned fleet to 57 vessels, including crude and product tankers, bulk
carriers, container ships, gas carriers and off shore vessels”, it said.
The acquisition is the first under a July
agreement to purchase two VLGCs of the same capacity. The second vessel, to be
renamed Shivalik, will join later this financial year.
India-EU trade talks move to monthly schedule as US tariff threat looms; EFTA Pact Effective Oct 1
In a bid to soften the impact of steep US
tariffs on Indian exports, the Commerce and Industry Ministry is pushing for
export diversification and has fast-tracked EU trade negotiations by holding
monthly talks with the 27-member bloc, a government official said on Thursday.
In the last 12 months, India and the EU
had conducted only four rounds of negotiations. The government’s
diversification push comes at a time when trade negotiations with the US have
paused, following President Donald Trump’s doubling of tariffs on Indian
exports to 50 per cent — threatening labour-intensive sectors such as textiles,
gems and jewellery, and marine products.
The US remains India’s largest export
market across most product categories. “Trade negotiations have gathered
pace and are now taking place on a monthly basis. We aim to wrap up talks by
the end of the year. While a number of important chapters have been closed,
some sensitive areas remain unresolved,” a government official said.
“As a result, sectors such as diamond
polishing, shrimp and home textiles may face declining sales volumes due to
high US dependence; rising costs from partially absorbed tariffs may ultimately
affect their earnings,” the Crisil reported stated.
For diamond polishers, US exports
accounted for 25% of total revenue in the last financial year. The tariffs will
further pressure already thin operating margins. “Working capital cycles will
lengthen as inventory moves slowly and customers delay payments,” the report
added.
India’s antitrust body to reopen probe into FedEx, UPS, and DHL executives
Top India
executives of FedEx, UPS, Aramex and DHL are set to be cross-examined in coming
weeks by a book publishers' group which accused them of price collusion, a new
twist in an antitrust probe that cleared the courier companies of wrongdoing
last year, a document shows.
Allowing a
complainant to interrogate companies is not common in Indian antitrust cases.
It means the final findings of the antitrust investigation could change and
create new challenges for the courier majors, and the case will be prolonged by
several months, antitrust lawyers and government sources said.
Many foreign and domestic companies are bullish about the Indian courier and parcel delivery market, which is expected to grow 11% a year to $14.3 billion by 2030, bolstered by a boom in online shopping, research firm Mordor Intelligence says.
The
Federation of Indian Publishers also did not respond. It represents many Indian
publishers like S. Chand and Rupa Publications, as well as some foreign groups
like Pan Macmillan.
“RARE
CROSS-EXAMINATION” - Sending the case back to
the CCI investigators could become an irritant for the logistics industry,
which has faced scrutiny since 2015, when France levied a $735 Million fine on
20
Companies
including FedEx and DHL, for secretly colluding to increase prices. In India, cross-examination of companies by
the complainant “is rare”, said Gautham Shahi, a competition law partner at
Indian Law Firm Dua Associates.
Abu Dhabi airports moves 344,795 tonnes of cargo in H1 2025
Abu Dhabi
Airports recorded a robust air cargo performance in the first half of 2025,
handling a total of 344,795 tonnes across its network from January 1 to June
30. The growth reflects the emirate’s rising role in global trade, supported by
strategic partnerships , expanded airline bellyhold capacity, and
infrastructure investments.
One key
contributor is the increasing cargo uplift from passenger airlines serving Abu
Dhabi , including India’s IndiGo. The carrier’s recent expansion to cities such
as Madurai, Bhubaneswar, and Visakhapatnam has added valuable bellyhold cargo
capacity, strengthening trade links between India’s Tier-2 cities and the UAE.
This additional capacity is proving vital for time-sensitive shipments such as perishables, pharmaceuticals, and e-commerce goods. A major milestone in H1 was Abu Dhabi Airports’ joint venture with JD Property, the infrastructure arm of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com.
Mammoth moves closer to 777-200LRMF STC
with test flights
Mammoth
Freighters 777-200 prototype converted freighterMammoth
Freighters plans to complete test flights for its 777-200LRMF converted
freighter by early October as it progresses towards Supplemental Type
Certification (STC) for the aircraft.
Brian
McCarthy, vice president of marketing & sales for Mammoth, told Air
Cargo News that the freighter conversion company is currently
conducting company flights and formal Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) 777-200LRMF flights.
The Fort
Worth, Texas-headquartered company announced it had completed the initial test flight of the 777-200LRMF prototype in May.
The
company and FAA test flights form part of Mammoth's plans to gain STC
approval for the conversion programme.
"In
order to accomplish formal FAA test flights the airplane must be 100% completed
with all installations and conformity inspections by a host of FAA designated
engineering representatives (DER's)," said McCarthy.
"We
are now in the final phase of conducting a series of Company flights and Formal
FAA flights that are scheduled over the next 4-6 weeks. We plan on having
all flights completed and all submittals of data, reports to the FAA by October
5.
"This
will trigger a process called Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) where the STC
applicant is 'all but done' and simply waiting for the FAA to finish up
administrative review, document audits and inventory of all data."
Qatar
Airways Cargo is the launch customer for the 777-200LRMF after earlier
this year signing an agreement for five of the aircraft with Texas-based
lessor, Jetran.
Meanwhile, Mammoth
is expected to complete flight testing for its first Boeing 777-300ERMF
freighter conversion by the end of the year, to then proceed to TIA.
McCarthy
noted that the 777-300ERMF STC is an amendment of the 777-200LRMF
STC, which should speed up the approvals process for the conversion programme.
AviaAM Leasing is the launch customer for the 777-300ERMF.
"The
only test that requires more focus is the smoke detection test for the 300
ER," elaborated McCarthy. "That's because the fuselage is 10 m longer
with a few more smoke detectors that have to be tested in those zones.
"Otherwise,
we see no issues with flight testing that aircraft. The flight test sequence
should be much swifter for the 300 ER." He added that Mammoth
anticipated the 777-200LRMF to be in service by the time
the 777-300ERMF flight testing is in progress.
Currently,
Mammoth has seven 777-200/-300 aircraft undergoing
conversion: five at Aspire MRO in Fort Worth, Texas,
and two at STS Aviation Services in Manchester, UK.
There are
currently three 777-300ER conversion programmes in place with IAI, KMC and
Mammoth, in addition to the 777-200LR programme in development with Mammoth.
dnata clears Schiphol backlog following
new facility move
Cargo handler dnata has cleared the backlog of cargo it faced as a result of teething problems at its new Schiphol Airport facility. In an update, dnata said that during the transition to its new facility it encountered operational challenges that had caused service disruptions.
The
company added: ”We are now pleased to confirm that the resulting cargo backlog
has been cleared, and customers have been advised that shipments are ready for
collection. We are also seeing improvements in our import and export processing
times, as well as truck dwell times.”
Dnata said
that it would continue to work closely with its partners to complete the
transition and bring the new facility to full operational capacity as quickly
and efficiently as possible.
“We are
enhancing systems and processes and deploying additional staff from our
international network to support stabilisation and performance,” dnata added.
”We do appreciate the support and patience of our customers and the wider cargo
community, and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.
”We remain
confident the new facility will soon operate at full potential as one of the
most advanced cargo hubs in the region.”
The
handler moved to its new dnata Cargo City Amsterdam
facility at the start of July and faced
problems with data across various systems, which were subsequently cleansed. To
help ease the congestion, some cargo operations were temporarily moved to other
handling facilities.
When fully
operational, the new state-of-the-art facility will be able to process more
than 850,000 tonnes of cargo a year and is equipped with automated storage and
retrieval systems (ASRS) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for flexible,
scalable ULD movements within the terminal.
It also
offers full air waybill (AWB) control across the facility. Operations will be
centrally managed through dnata’s Cargo Control Centre, with live process
visibility for real-time coordination.
Smart
gates will automatically record the volume and weight of all incoming
consignments using 3D scanning and a fork-lift guidance system is expected to
support the optimised movement of cargo within the warehouse.
Nippon Cargo Airlines to add Frankfurt freighter operation
Nippon
Cargo Airlines Boeing 747FFreighter
operator Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) is to expand its operations into Germany
with the start of flights to Frankfurt Airport.
The new
setup will begin on 4 September and will operate using the Japanese airline’s
Boeing 747-8 freighters, calling at Frankfurt twice per week.
One of the
flights will operate on a loop of Narita - Anchorage - Schiphol - Frankfurt -
Narita. The second flight will operate: Narita - Anchorage - Frankfurt -
Narita.
The
commencement of the route is subject to approval by the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) of Japan and the relevant German
authorities, NCA said. AeroRoutes reports that the airline last served
Frankfurt Airport in 2009.
At
present, the airline’s scheduled network into Europe includes calls at Schiphol
and Milan, while it offers services to Luxembourg through a codeshare
agreement.
The move
will be a boost to the German airport as cargo volumes have been fairly static
this year - increasing 1.4% year on year over the first seven months of the
year to 1.2m tonnes.
However,
in July, the airport appeared to benefit from the trend of front loading ahead
of the implementation of new US tariffs as its cargo volumes increased by 3.7% compared
with last year.
The
network adjustment is the first announced by the airline since it was taken over by ANA Holdings at the
start of August. According
to ANA Holdings, the move creates Japan’s largest combination carrier, boasting
a fleet including ANA’s six Boeing 767 freighters and two Boeing 777
freighters and NCA’s eight Boeing 747-8 freighters.
NCA also
owns seven Boeing 747-400F that are operated by other companies on lease.
I hope you have enjoyed reading the above
news letter.
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 1Branches : Chennai, Bangalore,
Mumbai, Coimbatore, Tirupur and Tuticorin.
Associate Offices : New
Delhi, Kolkatta, Cochin & Hyderabad.
Thanks to : Container News, Indian Seatrade, Cargo Forwarder Global & Air Cargo News.
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