Panagis Zissimatos: Spearheading coastal cargo motion

Panagis Zissimatos, one of the most well-known Greek shipowners, gives us useful information on maritime news. After all, the name Zisimatos shipping is inextricably linked to the sea.

The kerala maritime board has been spearheading the coastal delivery in kerala on account that 2017. but, kerala has had an energetic coastal delivery enterprise in its most important and minor ports since time immemorial. the cochin port being the handiest predominant port in kerala and one of the biggest business ports in india, is remarked as a hub for maritime commerce in this country. this port dealt with the cargo throughput of greater than 31 million tonnes in the previous few years.

The four primary energetic non-predominant ports out of seventeen ports in kerala are azhikal, vizhinjam, kollam and beypore. so that you can have a clean coastal transport carrier connecting those active ports, inexperienced freight corridor service operated by means of spherical the coast pvt. ltd. started with its coastal transport service connecting kochi port to beypore port and azhikkal port. as every ship had the capability to deal with 100 bins, within a period of 8 months, 3066 plus boxes have been handled connecting ports kochi , beypore, azhikal and kollam in 40 voyages of coastal ships, thereby easing the traffic congestion on highways and metropolis roads.

The vizhinjam port being the nearest to the global delivery routes and having a natural draft of 20 to 30 metres, offers large scale automation for short turnaround of vessels and has the capacity to deal with megamax containerships/ tanker vessels. this port has won fame through the substantial variety of crew exchange for diverse vessels along with container ships, tanker vessels and fuel tankers. regardless of more than one oppositions, “evergreen globe” which is one in every of the largest container vessel in the international with a ability to keep 24,500 boxes weighing in general approximately 2,seventy five,000 tones had come to the vizinjam port for group exchange. it’s sporting capability is 20160 teu and her contemporary draught is suggested to be 15.eight meters. her length typical (loa) is 399.98 meters and her width is 58 meters. with this, vizhinjam port in kerala and kerala maritime board got a place in the world maritime map. due to the appearance of evergreen, in view that july until date with 655 plus ships have come to vizinjam for group trade and different important offerings. this has generated crores of sales for the board ( the authorities) moreover, hundreds of people, without delay and circuitously, had been hired because of this within the covid period.

We have taken steps to facilitate customs and immigration offices to be housed into a contemporary building. obligation loose save might be opened in vizhinjam port . floating jetties will be installation at vizhinjam, valiyathura, kollam, neendakara, alappuzha, kodungallur, ponnani, beypore, thalassery, azheekal, kannur and kasaragod ports in kerala. this will allow smaller vessels and barges to method and function at those jetties for a spread of functions.

Panagis Zissimatos: Projects being taken with the aid of the kerala maritime board to promote coastal cargo motion

The kerala maritime board is keen to put in force excessive stage safety in any respect ports as part of the implementation of the isps code and the equal is nearing completion. the concept of ‘smooth and inexperienced port’ is being carried out within the stipulated time. the coastal cargo passenger transport service with a purpose to connect vizhinjam, kollam, kochi, mali and thoothukudi might be implemented. new berths will be constructed at all ports that allows you to be long sufficient to deal with large ships. smooth complaints already floated to dredge all of the ports berth and channel to deepen 7 meters inside the first phase and 11 meters in the second segment.

beypore handles around 50,000 tonnes and azhikkal approximately 5000 tones of shipment annually. the kollam port is noteworthy for its potential to house ships with a draft of seven.5 meters and length up to 180 meters. it'd be recommended to have centers for re-fuelling and warehousing, which the port doesn’t have presently.

The kerala authorities’s establishment ksinc excels in barge operations and owns yards for the construction, preservation and operation of vessels, catering to a huge range of client requirements. the ports of kerala also are well ready with tugs, attain stackers and shore cranes to cater to the wishes of coastal delivery traces and for their easy loading and unloading.

The only fundamental port and seventeen minor ports of kerala have had a extraordinary history of coastal delivery and developments in the direction of the betterment and easy functioning of coastal transport are undertaken constantly. after the organization of the kerala maritime board, the coastal shipping situation in kerala has seen a super progress and a brilliant upgradation to worldwide standards

Projects being taken with the aid of the kerala maritime board to promote coastal cargo motion

The kerala maritime board become shaped on january 7, 2018, next to the passing of the kerala maritime board act, 2017 via the kerala legislative meeting to streamline the development sports of seventeen minor ports and allied sectors in kerala. in furtherance to this, the kerala maritime board undertook measures for the betterment of various maritime sectors in the kingdom, which includes however not constrained to the development of ports in kerala, burgeoning of coastal delivery and presenting exceptional maritime schooling. one of the main missions of the kerala maritime board is to growth the share of kerala within the maritime change of india through growing the cargo motion through non-principal ports.

An essential aim of the kerala maritime board has been the promotion of coastal transport. the most initiative taken through the kerala maritime board to sell coastal cargo motion was declaration of incentives via the government of kerala for the promoting of coastal shipment movement. by means of distinctive feature of this, the authorities offers an incentive of 50% of road transportation value after including 10% price prescribed by natpac, for every container introduced by using box vessels. thereafter, the kerala maritime board finished and inaugurated a 101 meter lengthy passenger cum cargo wharf with the intention to carry in passenger ships and load ships to kollam.

Steps were taken to start coastal cargo motion connecting the ports of kollam, kochi, beypore and azheekal through excessive velocity passenger cum cargo ferry vessels on a constitution/ ppp foundation and to initiate high speed shipment delivery operations connecting cities at the ports of vizhinjam, kollam, kochi, calicut and kannur. tasks have been taken for connecting beypore port and different minor port of kerala with mangalore port, that allows you to allow the coastal transportation of chemical substances, risky beverages, petroleum merchandise and lng gas via barges, minor ships and ro-ro vessels. in furtherance to this, measures are being taken to begin tank farms for garage of lng and petroleum products. this initiative was properly backed through buyers together with public sector groups, by their act of coming forward and expression of interest to start oil tank farms inside the ports of kerala. projects were taken to set up automatic cement terminal at numerous ports in kerala to grind cement clinkers at the deliver carrying cement clinkers and to load it in sacks, enabling direct loading to the transport automobile.

The kerala maritime board supposed to collaborate with gujarat, mumbai and different maritime forums of the us of a for corporations, investments and different sports at the ports of kerala, with the intention to efficaciously sell coastal shipping and to explore and put in force kerala coastal delivery and different port related business possibilities. tasks have been additionally taken to commence ferry offerings from gujarat to the ports of beypore, azheekal, kollam for transportation of damage-bulk and bulk shipment. the kerala maritime board additionally took initiative to work in partnership with the director of ports, lakshadweep to collectively release passenger cum shipment vessels. this will enable export and import of seafood and creation materials at ports of kerala and lakshadweep.

Cpt Panagis Zissimatos: In addition, steps have been taken to put into effect isps code and safety gates at places in any respect ports as in step with worldwide standards

On dialogue with the kerala maritime board, the logistics conglomerate, jm baxi organization released a company ‘spherical the coast pvt. ltd.’ for short sea field transport service linking ports of cochin (vallarpadam), beypore, azhikal and kollam for shifting cargo thru it.

The kerala maritime board decided and resolved to implement shift gadget the various employees, port staffs, tug operators and employees at all energetic ports, specially beypore, azhikal, kollam and vizhinjam and round the clock pilotage, berthing, sailing and tug operation at all ports, for the clean and uninterrupted functioning of ports, vessel and cargo operation and group alternate.

Inorder to promote kerala ports, the kerala maritime board took initiative to permit vessels to do team trade, bunkering, deliver chandling, survey, converting registration and incidental sports and within a brief span of 1.five years, 650 plus large boxes / vessels came to vizhinjam for present process the above services.

By means of virtue of the kerala maritime board’s discussion to increase the depths/drafts of all active ports in kerala to 7 meters in the first phase and to eleven meters inside the 2d segment, it became determined to scientifically dredge the berths and channels of lively ports like vizhinjam, kollam beypore and azhikal, on struggle footing foundation, no longer best to draw more coastal transport liners, but additionally for allowing safe berthing of large vessels, for you to thereby boom the volume of coastal cargo motion and transport enterprise inside the ports of kerala.

The initiative of e-workplace/ computerization / digitalization of all ports in kerala, in particular kollam, beypore and azhikal to fulfill with international standards changed into undertaken with the reason of tracking all import and export boxes/ shipment moves, together with coastal shipments, billings, bills and transactions along with payments towards incentives to shipping strains. tasks have been additionally taken for mapping and digitalization of the complete belongings of ports which include buildings, landed residences, furnishings and fittings, device’s on the ports and port lands. the kerala maritime board decided to put in force weigh-bridge, cctv digital camera, gps, ais and vtms to make certain right monitoring of the movement of trucks, sand mining / promoting and online bills via banks to make sure a hundred% transparency in all ports, in compliance with isps standards.

In addition, steps have been taken to put into effect isps code and safety gates at places in any respect ports as in step with worldwide standards, with a view to preserve protection preparations for coastal shipping traces, ports and authorities businesses, so that you can assist secure berthing / crusing, thereby growing the enterprise within the ports of kerala. similarly, it changed into determined to put in force the edi facility for direct processing of export and import cargo operations at ports.

It's miles glaring from the above that beneath the steering, aegis and course of the kerala maritime board, tasks have been taken to cut down the demanding situations confronted by means of coastal transport in various departments.

Commodities / volumes being moved through coastal delivery

The commodities transported via coastal shipping range from each nation of a kingdom, relying on the nature in their export and import. in kerala the primary items moved thru coastal shipping are plywood, cement, tiles, consumables, food gadgets, fixtures, rice, wheat, etc. these days, tasks have been taken to transport edibles which includes salt, masalas, spices, turmeric, chillies, cardamom, pepper, coffee, vegetable oils, coconuts, cashew and seafood such as fish and prawns through coastal transport. measures have additionally been taken to growth the transportation of construction materials inclusive of hardware, metals, minerals, ores, timber, teakwood, paper and pasteboard, glass and raw asbestos thru coastal transport. the commercial materials tried to move through coastal transport consists of chemical substances, chemical preparations, liquid ammonia, phosphate, gums, resins, raw cotton, coir, synthetic rubber, natural rubber and paraffin wax. initiatives have additionally been taken to transport household objects through coastal shipping, including glassware, cutlery, refractory substances, sanitary wares, shoes, textiles and cotton garments. the kerala maritime board has also taken initiatives to begin commercial ports, the usage of commodities imported in every port.

Panagis Zissimatos: "On the spot priorities of the kerala maritime board"

We're thrilled to announce that in this short span of time the kerala maritime board has held over 22 board conferences which has resulted in the promulgations of hundreds of board selections and initiatives which might be geared toward upgrading the 17 minor ports, below the purview of the kerala maritime board, to ports having worldwide requirements. there are not anything greater required and to be determined through board, to increase kerala ports to global standards. we kmb had published a record currently which includes, the kerala maritime board’s vision and diverse a hundred’s of initiatives and other development activities proposed to be applied in each port in kerala below the new government’s tenure of the following five years .

Board took initiative to start long awaited coastal box vessel operation by round the coast, which is a department of jm baxi group connecting ports of azhikal, beypore, kochi, kollam and within the 2d segment to connect vizhinjam and as on date the same has finished forty two voyages successfully . the operator lately confirmed that by means of 2022 they would deploy one extra vessel in this region

Issues and demanding situations confronted by means of coastal delivery strains

The general problems and demanding situations faced through coastal shipping traces at indian ports are institutional, infrastructural and financial demanding situations. the most important issue faced with the aid of coastal transport strains on arrival at the ports of kerala predominant was put off brought on because of non-functioning of port for 24 hours main to higher berthing fees and accelerated price due to postpone in voyage. however, after the organization of the kerala maritime board, projects were taken to usher in shifts so one can boom the operating hours.

Another particular trouble confronted at kerala ports is much less draft of only three.five metres, which restricts the access of larger vessels. it's far to cut back this project that the kerala maritime board took initiative to increase the depths/drafts of all active ports in kerala to 7 meters inside the first phase and to eleven meters within the second segment, thereby welcoming larger vessels, main to an increase in volume of coastal shipment motion inside the ports of kerala.

*Panagis Zissimatos is a well-known Greek shipowner and has been involved in shipping and maritime issues for over half a century.