JUPITER SEA & AIR SERVICES PVT. LTD, EGMORE – CHENNAI, INDIA.

 

E-MAIL : Robert.sands@jupiterseaair.co.in   Mobile : +91 98407 85202

 

 

Corporate News Letter for  Tuesday  October 14,  2025

Today’s Exchange Rates

CURRENCY▲	PRICE	CHANGE	%CHANGE	OPEN	PREV.CLOSE
USD/INR	88.67	0.029999	-0.03382	88.76	88.70
EUR/USD	1.157	-0.0049	-0.421731	1.1613	1.1619
GBP/INR	118.2703	0.402405	0.341403	118.4868	117.8679
EUR/INR	102.8098	0.161499	0.157332	103.1052	102.6483
USD/JPY	152.27	1.080002	0.714334	151.65	151.19
GBP/USD	1.333	-0.003	-0.224552	1.3339	1.336
DXY Index	99.227	0.249001	0.251572	98.943	98.978
JPY/INR	0.5829	0.0015	0.258	0.5839	0.5814

 

///                   Sea Cargo News            ///

China to impose extra port fees on U. S. ships

According to Reuters, China will begin charging additional port fees on U.S. owned, U.S. operated or U.S. Flagged vessels from October 14, 2025, the country’s transport ministry announced.  The move comes in direct response to upcoming U.S. Port Fees targeting Chinese ships.

The ministry called the U.S. action “discriminatory” and accused Washington of disrupting global trade stability. Under the new Chinese measure, U.S. vessels will pay 400 yuan (US$ 56.13) per net tonne per voyage, rising to 640 yuan in April 2026, 880 yuan in April 2027 and 1,120 yuan (US$ 157.16) in April 2028.

MITSUI E&S ships 500th MITSUI PACECO Portainer

BIMCO : USTR fees to hit 35% of fleet, no rate hikes expected

When new fees from the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) targeting Chinese dominance in the maritime sector take effect on October 14, 2025, about 35% of ships in the combined bulk, crude tanker, product tanker and container fleet could face additional port charges when calling at U. S. Ports. “These ships represent 44% of total fleet capacity, yet US importers and exporters should not expect higher freight rates”, said Niels Rasmussen,  Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCo.

Global Container Trade sets new records in 2025

 

Three major ports designated as Green Hydrogen Hubs

The centre has formally recognised Deendayal Port Authority (Gujarat), V.O.Chidambaranar Port Authority (Tamil Nadu), and Paradip Port Authority (Odisha) as Green Hydrogen Hubs.

Commenting on the development, Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Ports are important nodes in the transition towards net zero by 2070.” The green hydrogen mission adopts a cluster-based development model.

This approach enhances early-stage project viability, enables infrastructure convergence, and helps achieve economies of scale in identified regions, an official statement said. Recognition of these ports is expected to catalyse industrial participation, attract green investments, and promote innovation in clean fuel technologies.

The current scheme guidelines for setting up Hydrogen Valley Innovation Clusters )HVIC) and Green Hydrogen Hubs provide the framework for identifying and supporting potential regions capable of large-scale hydrogen activity, the statement added.

India’s ₹72,000-crore Great Nicobar project targets becoming the “Jebel Ali of the East,” says maritime historian

When Dubai built the Jebel Ali Port in the late 1970s, skeptics called it a folly in the desert. Today, it is the cornerstone of the Gulf’s economic success. Drawing that parallel, maritime historian Nick Collins wrote on X, “When Dubai built Jebel Ali, many thought it madness. Now it anchors the Gulf economy.

India’s Nicobar project may not be as momentous, but it's a bold move and part of a potential maritime focus in which Delhi’s bureaucracy lets Indian entrepreneurship take India forward.” His words capture the ambition — and the risk — behind India’s Rs 72,000-crore Great Nicobar Project, one of the country’s most audacious infrastructure ventures in recent decades.

Economic Gateway

Experts see the project as a move to capture 20-30% of regional cargo currently routed through foreign hubs, reducing India’s dependence on ports like Singapore and Colombo.

But beyond commerce, the project carriers strategic undertone. Situated at the southeastern edge of the Indian archipelago, Great Nicobar sits

Close to the Six Degree Channel, a crucial shipping corridor. The port could serve as India’s frontline base in the Eastern Indo Pacific, enhancing surveillance and response capacity amid increasing Chinese naval activity.

This is India’s counter to China’s ‘string of pearls’ – not through confrontation, but by creating hubs of connectivity and commerce, said Collins, adding that island’s deep natural harbour gives it a logistical edge.

Government signals end of SCI privatisation, plans capital infusion and fleet expansion

The Indian government appears to have dropped its plan to privatise Shipping Corporation of India Ltd (SCI) and is preparing instead to strengthen the national carrier with fresh capital and fleet expansion.

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed in an interview with The Economic Times that the government plans to infuse capital into SCI to boost its fleet, a move seen as the clearest sign that the privatisation process has been abandoned. 

Following this change in stance, SCI’s management, led by Chairman and Managing Director Capt B.K. Tyagi, has urged the government to reverse the earlier demerger of core and non-core assets.

The demerger, done to facilitate privatisation, saw SCI’s prime real estate assets – including the Shipping House HQ at Nariman Point, the Maritime Training Institute at Powai and staff quarters in Mumbai and Kolkata – transferred to a separate Company, Shipping Corporation of India Land and Assets Ltd (SCILAL).

The core shipping company has also transferred Rs. 1,000 crore to the non-core entity. SCI now argues that about Rs. 4,000 crore worth of assets are locked in SCILAL and wants the entities to be merged again.

PSA Mumbai welcomes new SEI1 service, boosting regional trade connectivity

PSA Mumbai has enhanced its regional connectivity with the launch of the SEI1 service, marking the maiden call of a COSCO SHIPPING vessel on 9 October 2025. The new standalone service connects major Southeast Asian ports—Surabaya, Jakarta, Singapore, and Port Klang—with Nhava Sheva, creating a vital trade corridor between Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. 

With the addition of SEI1, PSA Mumbai further strengthens its role as a trusted gateway for global shipping lines, enabling faster transit times, improved service reliability, and seamless cargo movement across the region.