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| March 2025 |
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From the Editorial Desk |
CMEC is happy to share the latest maritime briefing covering developments in maritime connectivity, maritime economy, trade and technology aspects related to India and the world and few relevant reports shaping the growth of the maritime sector. |
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Maritime Connectivity |
Important connectivity initiatives which drive the sector’s growth in India include two new shipping services between India and West Asian ports. In a first, an export train was launched from the hinterlands of Rajasthan, originating at Khemli CONCOR Depot to MDCC (Mundra Port), this move will enhance direct export connectivity. A trans-national cargo train service from India to Kazakhstan on the INSTC route has also begun, and will improve Central Asian region’s connectivity and help expand trade opportunities. |
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Maritime Economy |
AP Moller-Maersk plans to invest $5 billion in the modernisation and expansion of India’s ports and terminals. A major part of the investment is at the Pipavav terminal and it covers other new projects like the Vadhvan mega port. Other, international developments include a US-backed investor consortium buying a majority stake from the Hong Kong-based company CK Hutchison that runs ports along either side of the Panama Canal. The deal will result in this consortium gaining a 90% stake of the Panama Ports Company. |
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Maritime Technology |
An AI-led project for harnessing wave energy is making headlines. The project is supported by Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology and could be a major success in renewable energy, opening frontiers of harnessing the wave energy. Towards the digitalisation expansion, Marcura, a global maritime services company is acquiring the AI startup Shipster, which specialises in AI driven document automation. The British firm Zero USV also launched Oceanus12, an unmanned surface vessel (USV), with hybrid-electric propulsion system which can cover long distance missions (upto 2500 nautical miles) such as for border control, surveys, fisheries, and even as a charter vessel. |
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Maritime Sustainability |
In a significant move, India and Singapore signed a Letter of Intent (LoI), during the Singapore Maritime Week, for collaboration on maritime digitalisation and decarbonisation projects. In an inhouse drive towards sustainable logistics solutions, two Indian companies, BLR Logistiks and MatchLog Solutions, also partnered together towards creating supply chain solutions which will enhance efficiency, reduce operational costs and create a resilient supply chain ecosystem. |
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Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) announced the addition of two new shipping services - India Red Sea Express (BIGEX3) and India Upper Gulf Express (BIGEX4) - by French shipping giant CMA CGM, to Jeddah Islamic Port and King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam. BIGEX3 connects Jeddah Islamic Port to Nhava Sheva and Mundra in India, and Salalah in Oman, with a total capacity of 2,633 TEUs. BIGEX4, with a total capacity of 3,527 TEUs, links King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam to Nhava Sheva and Mundra in India, and Umm Qasr in Iraq....read more |
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In a landmark event, the first export train was flagged off from Khemli CONCOR Depot to MDCC (Mundra Port) under the Direct Port Entry (DPE) movement, with the collaboration of Maersk Shipping Line. It will enhance direct export connectivity from-and-to Udaipur, thereby providing seamless and efficient logistics solutions to the industries in the Mewar region. It is also expected to foster continuous growth and strengthen trade. .....read more |
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A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk) and Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore collaboration opportunities in ship repair, maintenance, and building activities in India. The MoU encompasses several key areas of cooperation - technical expertise sharing for achieving global standards in ship maintenance; exploration of ship repair, dry docking, and new building opportunities; joint training programs focusing responsible practices; and skill development initiatives for both CSL employees and Maersk seafarers. The collaboration will initially focus on vessels up to 7,000 TEU for afloat repairs and up to 4,000 TEU for dry-docking, with capabilities expected to expand over time. .....read more |
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Global shipping giant A.P. Moller Maersk plans to invest $5 billion in India's ports, terminals, and landside infrastructure over the next few years, Keith Svendsen, CEO of APM Terminals, told the media. The investment will focus on expansion of the Pipavav terminal, the development of one of the container terminals at Vadhavan Port and the logistics segment in India. Approximately half of this investment will be allocated to Pipavav Terminal and the logistics segment, the company said. Last year, APM Terminals had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) to develop a new container terminal at the upcoming Vadhavan mega port in Maharashtra. .. read more |
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An investor group backed by U.S. firm BlackRock agreed to buy a majority stake in the Hong Kong-based company that runs ports along either side of the Panama Canal, giving the U.S. firm control of key docks amid pressure from the White House to take them from China. The $22.8 billion sale by Hong Kong's CK Hutchison to U.S. and Swiss investors also includes dozens of ports in other countries, the companies announced. The sale of licenses will result in the consortium gaining a 90% stake in Panama Ports Company, which has been the operator of the Balboa and Cristobal ports in the Central American country for more than two decades, CK Hutchison said in a statement. ...read more |
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A subsidiary of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), in cooperation with Uzbekistan’s and Turkmenistan’s railway companies, organized the first shipment of 12 twenty-foot containers carrying ceramic tiles from Mundra Port, India, to Astana. The train will travel 1,585 kilometers by sea and 4,300 kilometers by rail, passing through Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Depending on the workload at Bandar Abbas Port in Iran, delivery will take approximately 25-30 days. This transportation is carried out as part of the development of container service along the eastern route of the INSTC. This corridor significantly reduces delivery times and transportation costs while expanding trade opportunities for exporters and importers of the countries involved... read more |
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CorPower Ocean has secured financial backing from Vinnova, Sweden’s national innovation agency, for a project exploring the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) for improved performance and control in wave energy technology. The WACE (Wave energy AI-based Control Enhancement) project is now underway and is set to run until November 2025. CorPower Ocean is being supported by project partner Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). A key feature of CorPower Ocean’s technology is its ability to tune and detune according to ocean conditions, limiting the response to storms and amplifying the motion and power capture in normal waves. ...read more |
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Artisanal fishers in the Gulf of Terracina typically use gillnets. Unfortunately, gillnet fishing attracts dolphins, which often prey on netted fish, entangling themselves and sometimes drowning in the process. To address this issue, La Sirena Producers’ Organisation of Terracina, in collaboration with Agrital General Cooperative Association of Italy and the Agricoltura Gestione Ittica, used EU funding to test the use of ‘acoustic bollards’. The bollards emit sporadic blasts of underwater sound to scare away dolphins and other large predators, repelling them from vessels and preventing human-dolphin interactions at sea. This reduces accidental capture and predation, helping to save dolphins’ lives and minimising the loss of the fishers’ valuable catch. .....read more |
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Maritime technology firm Marcura has acquired AI-driven document intelligence start-up Shipster. Shipster specialises in AI-driven document automation, particularly in extracting and structuring key data from shipping documents like statements of facts, letters of indemnity, bills of lading, and generating handover instructions. The acquisition is part of Marcura’s broader strategy to develop and deploy AI agents that eliminate process-heavy tasks, allowing maritime professionals to focus on high-value decision-making. ...read more |
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British firm Zero USV launched its Oceanus12 unmanned surface vessel (USV), marking a step closer to offering the world’s first charter fleet of fully-autonomous USVs. The Oceanus12, designed for long distance over-the-horizon operations, has also been designed to be mission agnostic, allowing a wide range of potential applications, from surveys and monitoring of critical assets to safety, geophysical surveys, border control, fisheries, defense and more. The 12-meter Oceanus12 USV features hybrid-electric drive system, with twin drives for redundancy and efficiency coupled with sufficient onboard fuel for a cruising range of more than 2500 nautical miles, and fully autonomous software (MarineAI’s GuardianAI).....read more |
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China is moving ahead with plans to build a deep-sea manned laboratory - a stationary submarine with a crew of six and a maximum working depth of 2,000 meters. The manned subsea lab is designed for the study of cold seeps, areas of the seabed where oil and gas leak out naturally into the water column. Most oceanographic research programs are limited in duration by necessity, as existing research submersibles have short loiter times at the bottom. The subsea lab concept will allow scientists days or weeks to monitor the ecosystem with ROVs, "manned mobile observation platforms," and other high-end devices for subsea exploration. Resident scientists will be able to stay submerged for 30 days at a time before resurfacing. ...read more |
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USA’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Serco have launched the Defiant, a prototype unmanned surface vessel that is designed from the ground up for fully uncrewed naval operations. The ship has no provisions at all for human occupancy during operation. The 180-foot, 240-tonne autonomous gray hull is in the water and will now undergo sea trials. The prototype is the product of the agency's No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program. DARPA has been running multiple tests to support the operating concept in parallel with construction, including at-sea refueling for a Defiant-sized vessel. The U.S. Navy's USV Squadron 1 conducted the test in partnership with DARPA using two experimental unmanned vessels, the crewboat-based Ranger and Mariner. .....read more |
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MatchLog Solutions, an Indian company working on sustainable logistics solutions, has joined forces with BLR Logistiks (I) Ltd, an Indian logistics service provider. This collaboration is set to redefine how container movement is managed across India by leveraging technology to enhance efficiency, minimize delays, and streamline operations in the transport sector. With BLR Logistiks’ extensive transportation network and MatchLog’s advanced technology, this collaboration is expected to set new benchmarks for efficiency in the transport sector. The partnership will enable better container utilization, minimizing idle time and reducing overall operational costs. These solutions are also expected to create better visibility across the supply chain, ensuring a more synchronized and data-driven approach to logistics planning....read more |
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The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Shri Sarbananda Sonowal attended the signing ceremony of Letter of Intent (LOI) between India and Singapore on maritime digitalisation (Digital Corridor Collaboration) and Decarbonisation (Green Shipping) on 25th March 2025. Under the LOI, both sides will collaborate on maritime digitalisation and decarbonisation projects, including identifying relevant stakeholders who could contribute to the effort, and work towards formalising the partnership through a memorandum of understanding on a Singapore-India Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC). ...read more |
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India is enhancing its trade compliance framework with a recent amendment to the Customs (Administration of Rules of Origin under Trade Agreements) Rules, 2020 (CAROTAR Rules). The amendment introduces a change by replacing the term “Certificate of Origin” with the broader term “Proof of Origin” across various provisions of the rules. This shift reflects India’s intent to align its customs processes with international trade norms while simultaneously tightening scrutiny over the misuse of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). ...read more |
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This is the second edition of EMTER, a joint report by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the EUROPEAN Environment Agency (EEA). It examines the progress made towards achieving Europe′s decarbonisation targets and environmental goals for the maritime sector while indicating the most important trends, key challenges, and opportunities. It also seeks to update the indicators developed for the first EMTER report, analyse new datasets, and fill existing gaps, to provide a data and knowledge-based assessment of the maritime transport sector′s transition to sustainability. ...read more |
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Maritime Technology Forum, a group of Flag States and Classification Societies focusing on essential topics for the future of the maritime industry (including energy efficiency, alternative fuels, and autonomous ships), published a set of Guidelines for developing and implementing a safety management system for ammonia-fuelled ships. Companies can use these guidelines to develop new and/or strengthen existing safety management systems for ammonia as fuel onboard their fleet. ...read more |
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Newport News Shipbuilding yard printed and installed the first-ever manifold using additive manufacturing technology (commonly known as 3D printing) for the soon-to-be-delivered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. The valve manifold assembly, a specialized assembly that allows the distribution of a single source of fluid to multiple points on the ship, is installed in a pump room on Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier Enterprise. The assembly is approximately 5 feet long and 1,000 pounds. Newport News collaborated with DM3D Technology to manufacture the manifold body......read more |
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