The Ministry of Shipping has rationalised port tariff rates for cruise vessels. The net effect of the rate relaxation would be an immediate reduction in port charges ranging from 60-70 per cent, which is likely to provide major relief to the cruise industry in India.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of Krishnapatnam Port Co. Ltd (KPCL) by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued standard operating procedures for sign-on and sign-off of Indian seafarers at the country’s ports.

India is blessed with a very long coastline and has a port infrastructure that is envied by some of the countries in the Asian region.

While the waterfront of a port is difficult to alter, mechanisation of terminals can be done easily, and is central to turnaround strategies, says Jagannarayan Padmanabhan, Practise Leader & Director, Transport & Logistics, CRISIL Infrastructure Advisory.

India has carried out the master planning of 12 major ports as well as identified 95 capacity expansion and port modernisation projects, Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge), Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya informed the winter session of parliament in a written reply to an unstarred question.

The year 2018 has been a significant one for the logistic and shipping sector in India.

HDC's key priorities are installation of one container handling crane (RMQC), mechanisation of Berth No 3 in PPP mode, and creation of liquid cargo handling facilities at Shalukali through PPP, and a goal to handle 65 MMTPA of cargo by 2021-22.

JNPT continued to upscale its growth trajectory and closed the financial year ending Mar 2019 handling 5.13 million TEUs, which is a 6.20 per cent growth as compared to the last financial year.