Deendayal Port Becomes 2Nd Major Port To Have Shore To Ship Power Facility

GANDHIDHAM: Deendayal Port will now become the second Major Port in India to have shore-to-ship power facility.

 

The facility would mean that not all the ships coming to the port will have to run their electricity from diesel generators.

 

“In line with international conventions and the Government's initiative to reduce pollution from marine sources, the port has invited tenders for installing power supply arrangements to ships calling at the port when they are alongside berth. The project will have 1 megawatt capacity and cater to four ships at a time for their lighting loads,” said Shri Ravi Parmar, Chairman of Deendayal Port Trust.

 

The facility is expected that emissions or usage of fossil fuel will reduce by 100 litre per hour for the vessels berthed at the port, which translates to approximately 12 kilolitre per ship for a port stay of five days.

 

Even the tugs being used at the port will have shore-to-ship power facility at a separate area within the port. “When the tugs are not attending to the ships, they are berthed alongside port craft jetty, when they run their generators to meet the electricity requirements. The port has made arrangement to provide electricity from shore-based installation to the tugs, both at Vadinar and at Kandla, which results in an estimated reduction in consumption to the tune of approximately 1,000 litres per day, that is 365 kl per annum,” according to shipping sources.

 

A year ago, V.O. Chidambaranar Port had commissioned shore-to-ship power. Other Major Ports of India are yet to catch up on the feature to be part of the 'Project Green Port'.

 

Deendayal Port Trust will also have a wind power plant under the 'Project Green Port' initiative of Ministry of Shipping. The port already has captive 6 mw wind power project installed, which was commissioned in March and has the capacity to generate 1.45 crore units annually.

 

Now, it plans to come up with another 14 mw of wind power for a period of next 20 years. The estimated annual energy production from this project will be around 40 million units per year and likely to be commissioned by March.

 

 

 

 

Soures : Dailyshippingtimes.com

Readymade Garment Exports Up 25% In September In Rupee Terms

NEW DELHI: After seeing a fall for three months in a row, ready-made garment (RMG) exports rose by 25 per cent in rupee terms and 30 per cent in dollar terms in September.

 

But exporters say this will not be sustainable since Government policies are not favourable.

 

RMG exports rose to Rs 10,707 crore in September 2017 from Rs 8,583.55 crore in the same month a year ago.

 

In dollar terms, these figures were $1.662 billion as against $1.284 billion.

 

Of the total RMG exports, 52 per cent is woven and 48 per cent is knitwear.

 

The sector started the year in April with 27.60 per cent growth in rupee terms and a 31.65 per cent increase in dollar terms. But in the following month growth (in rupee terms) was only 3.84 per cent.

 

Exporters say that garment exports this year will surpass last year’s total exports of $17.358 billion as, generally, exports tend to grow in the second half.

 

January to March are the crucial months for RMG exports. Around 30-40 per cent of exports have taken place during these three months in the last few years.

 

Exporters attributed the increase mainly to the upcoming Christmas season in Western markets. The other factor is that inventories piled up due to the GST are now being cleared. Tirupur Exporters’ Association President Raja Shanmugam said that people are now becoming used to the system. In the last three months while global demand was increasing, exporters could not cater to it due to tax-related confusion. “Now we don’t have a choice, but the GST makes our products costlier compared to other countries,” said Shanmugam. He added the September numbers are not sustainable in the current environment.

 

Another exporter agreed and said unless India signs an FTA with European countries exporters will be in deep trouble. Competing nations have a duty advantage, which India does not possess.

 

Customers have also started asking for a reduction in price after the rupee started strengthening against the dollar. This comes at a time when the cost of doing business is going down for exporters.

 

 

 

 

Soures : Dailyshippingtimes.com

India's Exports To Bangladesh Bounce Back, Record 13% Growth In Fy17

KOLKATA: After a subdued show for two consecutive years, India’s exports to Bangladesh reported a robust growth in 2016-17. The growth is attributed to a significant rise in export of equipment and high-value machinery for project implementation in Bangladesh.

 

According to the Commerce Ministry, exports to Bangladesh touched $6.8 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2017, recording 13 per cent growth. Total bilateral trade had hit an all-time high of $7.5 billion, up 11 per cent.

 

Bangladesh is the ninth largest importer of Indian goods. According to the Ministry, Indian exports increased by a modest 4.6 per cent ($6.4 billion) in 2014-15 and dropped by 6.4 per cent ($6.03 billion) in 2015-16.

 

New initiatives

 

Indian observers believe conversion of road traffic to less costly rail, containerisation of cargo and multi-modal transport can reduce the trade logistics costs. India recently approved Rs. 40 crore, in the third line of credit worth $4.5 billion to Dhaka, to help Bangladesh build a transhipment facility at Ishwardi that connects Gede-Darshana rail-link. It will help increase rail cargo by road. A parallel effort is on by both the countries to run container trains between Kolkata and Dhaka.

 

But the most promising news is from shipping sector. Though India and Bangladesh opened direct shipping last year; the cargo volume didn’t grow to the expected levels due to congestion at Chittagong Port in Bangladesh.

 

In a recent trend, Bangladeshi shipping lines started moving containerised cargo from Kolkata to the inland river port at Pangaon, barely 20 km from Dhaka. The Port is equipped with container handling facility. Indian authorities are bullish that popularising this route can reduce trade costs significantly.

 

 

 

 

Soures : Dailyshippingtimes.com

Textile Exporters To Tap Uae Market

CHENNAI: A 100-member delegation from textile and garment industry would be visiting the United Arab Emirates next month.

 

Federation of Indian Export Organisation Chairman A Sakthivel would be leading the business delegation to take part in the International Apparel and Textile Fair to be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre between November 1 and 3, a press release said.

 

During the visit, the traders would be displaying fashion readymade and fashion garments at the Indian pavilion.

 

Currently, India's textile and garment export is focused to Europe and United States markets. By the participation in the trade fair, "FIEO envisages to serve major GCC countries directly", it said.

 

The United Arab Emirates ranks third in the world in terms of textile exports. It is also the fourth largest trading centre for fashion and apparel, it said.

 

 

 

 

Soures : Economictimes.indiatimes.com

Exporters Soon Can Claim Refund For Gst Paid In August, Sept.

New Delhi - Exporters can soon start claiming refunds for GST paid in August and September as GSTN will this week launch an online application for processing of refund, its Chief Executive Officer Prakash Kumar said recently.

 

GST Network (GSTN), the company handling IT infrastructure for the indirect tax regime, has from October 10 started issuing refunds to exporters for Integrated GST (IGST) they paid for the month of July, after matching GSTR-3B and GSTR-1.

 

For August and September, while the initial return GSTR- 3B has already been filed, the final return GSTR-1 has not yet been filed.

 

"A separate online app for claiming Integrated GST (IGST) refunds for August and September would be made available on GSTN portal this week," Kumar said.

 

GSTN has developed the app wherein exporters can save and upload their sales data which are part of GSTR-1 after filling up export details in Table 6A.

 

The table will be then extracted separately and after exporters digitally sign it, it would automatically go to the Customs Department.

 

The Customs Department will then validate the information provided in the table with the shipping bill data and also the taxes paid in GSTR-3B. The refund amount would be either credited to exporter's bank account through ECS or a cheque would be issued.

 

As per data, 55.87 lakh GSTR-3B returns were filed for July, 51.37 lakh for August and over 42 lakh for September. Preliminary returns GSTR-3B for a month is filed on the 20th day of the next month after paying due taxes.

 

Thereafter, final returns in form GSTR-1, 2, 3 are filed by businesses giving invoice wise details of sales. The final return filing for August and September has not started yet. Over July-August, an estimated Rs 67,000 crore has accumulated as the Integrated GST (IGST), of which only about Rs 5,000-10,000 crore will be due as refunds to exporters.

 

The Goods and Services Tax (GST), the amalgamation of over a dozen indirect taxes like excise duty and VAT, does not provide for any exemption, and so exporters are required to first pay Integrated-GST (IGST) on manufactured goods and claim refunds after exporting them. This had put severe liquidity crunch, particularly on aggregators or merchant exporters.

 

To ease their problems, the GST Council earlier this month decided a package for them that includes extending the Advance Authorisation / Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) / 100 per cent EOU (Export Oriented Unit) schemes to sourcing inputs from abroad as well as domestic suppliers till March 31, thus not requiring to pay IGST.

 

 

 

Soures : Dailyshippingtimes.com

Bangladesh & India Top Buyer Of Scrapped Ships

DHAKA : Bangladesh was the top buyer of scrapped ships in the world in the third quarter of 2017, followed by India, according to a study of Brussels-based Shipbreaking Platform.

 

During the period, 50 scrapped ships were brought to Bangladesh and 44 to India, making South Asia the most preferred destination for scrapping old vessels, which is a hazardous practice for human health and environment.

 

A total of 227 ships were broken between the months of July and September, 124 of which ended up on the beaches in South Asia, according to the organisation which is a coalition of environmental, human and labour rights organisations.

 

Greek ship owners sold 11 ships to the beaching yards this quarter, which is the highest, followed by South Korea and Singapore at 6 vessels each. Shipping companies from the US sold 5 vessels.

 

 

 

Soures : Dailyshippingtimes.com

Government Plans To Set Rules For Food Exports Packaging

NEW DELHI: The government is working towards new packaging norms for export of food items to address concerns over food safety and health standards even as some Indian food products face rejection in developed markets.

 

The ministry of commerce and industry has constituted a standing committee to formulate packaging standards for export of 500 products including fresh fruits and vegetables, spices, tea, and coffee.

 

The regulations will be in sync with those of developed markets such as the US, Vietnam, the European Union, and Japan, said an official from the ministry.

 

“A large amount of contamination can happen during transit if the packaging is not done properly,” said the official. “The government is keen to promote exports of fresh and processed food products and is hoping that these regulations will help in increased business for exporters,” the person said on condition of anonymity.

 

The standing committee is also mandated to help introduce a degree course in packaging as an initiative to increase awareness about the matter. The committee will also engage in research of innovative materials for packaging of different products.

 

The committee has representation from Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), several research institutes and industry associations such as Tea Board of India and Coffee Board of India. “We have already suggested standards for packaging fresh fruits and vegetables and submitted it to the ministry and are working on packaging for spices and tea,” said NC Saha, director of Indian Institute of Packaging and a member secretary of the standing committee. 

 

The institute is organising three events — International Summit for Packaging Industry, Indiapack Pacprocess exhibition and Pacmachine Awards — to spread awareness about the importance of packaging. The development comes even as some Indian food products continue to be rejected by some western markets.

 

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has on several occasions refused entry to Indian food items such as spices, basmati rice, fisheries and herbal products.

 

Russia had also imposed ban on import of rice and peanuts from India on grounds of contamination. Australia had issued an advisory that Indian exporters involved in the exports of processed food products, especially containing milk, have not been following the relevant regulation of imports into Australia, after detection of cases violating the import regulations.

 

 

 

Soures : economictimes.indiatimes.com

India May Emerge As Key Market For Us Crude Exports

NEW DELHI: India is set to emerge as a key market for American crude exports in coming months, as refineries in that Country are ramping up “test” purchases of U.S. grades to diversify their imports. U.S. exports recently set a weekly record with nearly 2 million barrels of crude a day sent overseas. But shipments to India have been rare, with just a few deliveries since the U.S. lifted its ban on crude exports in late 2015. Indian refineries are starting to increase purchases as the Country seeks to secure more supply from outside the Middle East. Refiners are testing both U.S. sweet and sour crudes in their facilities, a common practice when importing crude from new sources.

 

“A lot of these (Indian refiners) want to see what it’s like if they run it,” said one Houston-based oil broker.

 

“They want to get a taste of U.S. crude.” Those refiners are taking advantage of a wide spread between U.S. oil and other global benchmarks, which has created an attractive discount on American crude grades.

 

Indian refiners Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited were given a special permission by the Shipping Ministry to import oil from the United States until March. “They’ve been stepping up to be a sizeable importer; they’re looking to diversify away from the Middle East,” said John Kilduff, partner at energy hedge fund Again Capital LLC in New York.

 

 

 

Soures : Dailyshippingtimes.com