Cleaner shipping fuel accelerated global warming, says report

Global shipping’s switch to low-sulphur fuels starting in 2020 “could lead to a doubling (or more) of the warming rate” this decade and has already contributed to record-breaking heat over the past year, a study said. An international effort to improve air quality by requiring ships to use less-polluting fuel caused a spike in global warming on this unintended climate “shock”. That is because the tiny particles in sulphur pollution reflect and absorb sunlight and make clouds more mirror-like, creating a temporary cooling effect on the planet. Scientists had anticipated that switching to cleaner fuels would reduce this reflecting effect and accelerate warming, even if they debated by how much.

APM Terminals Pipavav (GPPL) has achieved a significant milestone in vehicle logistics, setting a new record for the highest number of processed RORO rakes handled in a single month. The terminal processed 40 newly modified goods (NMG) rakes, facilitating the unloading of 3,969 cars. This achievement represents a significant increase from the previous record of 30 NMG rakes handled in March 2024. By efficiently managing the movement of vehicles through rail, APM Terminals Pipavav contributes to significant decongestion of India’s road networks, benefiting both the environment and commuters.

Contact: APM Terminals Pipavav

Tel: 2794 242400

Website: www.apmterminals.com

The largest container ship ever to call at an Indian port, the MSC Anna vessel, docked at Mundra Port. MSC Anna has an overall length of 399.98 metres, roughly the length of four football fields, and has a huge capacity of 19,200 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), making it the largest container ship by capacity to ever visit an Indian port. Its arrival draft is 16.3 metres, which can be accommodated only at Mundra Ports, as no other port in India is capable of berthing a deep-draft vessel. During its stay, the exchange is around 12,500 TEUs, which underscores Mundra Port’s capability to manage large-scale cargo efficiently. It is expected to cross the 200 MT mark in cargo handling in FY25, which will make it the country’s first port to achieve this feat.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) said it has secured a five-year operations and maintenance (O&M) contract for the container facility at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata. With this, APSEZ has to deploy cargo handling equipment within seven months from the letter of acceptance (LOA) date. APSEZ won the five-year O&M contract through a competitive bidding process, which mandates the successful bidder to deploy cargo handling equipment within seven months from the letter of acceptance (LOA) date.

The government plans to set up a new shipping company to expand its fleet by at least 1,000 ships in the next decade, as Asia’s third-largest economy seeks a bigger chunk of revenue from surging trade. The yet-to-be-named firm will be jointly owned by state-run companies in the oil, gas and fertiliser industries. The new firm will be based at GIFT IFSC, in Gujarat which aims to compete with hubs such as Singapore, based on provision of incentives and a streamlined regulatory environment. It would draw seed capital from a maritime development fund of roughly Rs.300 billion the government plans to set up in a tie-up with major port authorities. Current estimates show that freight costs will rise to $400 billion as exports and imports get a boost by 2047.