Shanghai overtook Singapore as the world’s busiest container port in 2010, helped by continuing growth in Chinese trade and the business generated by the World Expo it hosted last year, the city government said last week.
Shanghai’s port handled 29.05 million 20-foot equivalent units of containers in 2010, an increase of 16.2 percent over the volume of 25 million TEUs it handled in 2009.
Shanghai’s 2010 container throughput was about 650,000 TEUs greater than the 28.4 million TEUs handled by the Port of Singapore in 2010, which was up 9.9 percent from 2009, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
By The Numbers: New Shanghai Containerized Freight Index.
Shanghai’s cargo throughput rose to around 650 million metric tons in 2010, maintaining its top global spot, according to the statement.
Singapore became the world’s busiest container port in 2005 after predecessor Hong Kong lost out to cheaper harbors in southern China. As recently as 2001, Shanghai had moved fewer than half the containers handled by Singapore.
China’s State Council, or cabinet, has set an aim of making Shanghai a leading shipping center by 2020 — the same year by which the government hopes the city will become a global financial center.
Shanghai will continue with a pilot project for export tax rebates, potentially expanding it, and is looking into developing shipping-price derivatives and an index on shipping prices, the city government said.
Shanghai’s port is operated by Shanghai International Port (Group) Co.
Indian Launches $110 Billion Maritime Plan
• Foresees 3.2 billion ton capacity, major reforms by 2020
India plans to spend an estimated $110 billion to develop ports and shipbuilding by 2020 as it aims to expand its overall ocean cargo-handling capacity to 3.2 billion tons and implement major reforms in the maritime sector.
The government’s 10-year plan, called the Maritime Agenda 2010-2020, was released Thursday in New Delhi by Shipping Minister G.K. Vasan.
“We want to bring our ports at par with the best international ports in terms of performance and capacity,” Vasan said.
The minister said the plan replaces the current $30-billion National Maritime Development Program, which was launched in 2007 and slated to end in March 2012.
The new plan calls for a total investment of $66 billion in the port sector and the remainder in the shipping segment, with the private sector expected to contribute the major chunk. “We want to increase India’s share in global shipbuilding to 5 percent from the current 1 percent,” Vasan said.
Under the plan, the ministry plans to set up two new major ports — one each on the east and west coasts — and upgrade four of the existing 13 ports — Jawaharlal Nehru (Nhava Sheva) and Cochin on the west coast, and Chennai and Visakhapatnam on the east coast — into major maritime hubs.
“All major ports will be required to have draft of not less than 14 meters and hub ports 17 meters,” the minister said.
He also said the ministry is working on a new land policy for major ports and will appoint a common regulator to administer the entire port sector. Currently, the Tariff Authority for Major Ports approves tariffs for major ports, while non-major ones have the freedom to fix their service rates.
Indian ports handled 845 million tons of cargo in fiscal 2009-10 ended March 31, 2010. Based on government estimates, seaborne trade is likely to reach 2.5 billion tons by 2020.
Mediterranean Shipping Company takes delivery of MSC LAUREN
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s second biggest container carrier, has taken delivery of MSC LAUREN, a 12,500-TEU container ship delivered from South Korea’s STX Shipyard. The ship, which was ordered in August 2007 cost US$ 159 million and is the second of nine similar size vessels on order from this yard.
MSC Lauren will join the company’s Far East-North Europe service. The first new 12,500-TEU ship, MSC BERYL entered service last September.
Former Kenya Ports Boss Denies Graft Claims
Former ports boss James Mulewa has denied acquiring his wealth fraudulently.
At the same time, Mr Justice Mohammed Ibrahim, sitting in Mombasa, gave the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) more time to conduct investigations into Mr Mulewa’s source of wealth.
He also extended an order freezing his bank accounts for an additional 30 days.
KACC had asked for more time to scrutinise new evidence allegedly showing he could have obtained his wealth through corrupt means.
This was after the commission obtained fresh information showing that Mr Mulewa had allegedly maintained a foreign account with deposits running into hundreds of thousands of dollars during his tenure as Kenya Ports Authority managing director.
KACC director PLO Lumumba ordered Mr Mulewa to give a statement of his property with details on the source of his cash and cheques, cost and dates of acquisition of the assets, and particulars of how they were acquired.
In his letter to the former ports boss, Prof Lumumba enumerated his cash deposits made through various bank ATMs from August 31, 2008, when he was confirmed managing director, to May 20, 2010, when he was interdicted.
In response, Mr Mulewa said the cash deposits were proceeds of livestock from the family ranch in Kilifi, and that he acquired the houses in question through loans and mortgages.
He said he inherited some of the plots in question and bought the rest.
Tanzania Govt Makes Efforts to Win Back Dar Port’s Lost Glory
Tanzania is doing a lot to convince landlocked countries that they should use Dar es Salaam port, the deputy minister for Transport, Dr Athuman Mfutakamba, has said.
In this connection it has ensured that berth eight has relevant and modern equipment while also expanding berth 13 and 14, he explained.
In an interview in Dar es Salaam on Monday, he said the government has directed the Tanzania International Container Terminal Services (TICTS) to equip berth Number 8 and ensure that it is active all the time.
He said the government will build two berths that will boost the efficiency of Dar es Salaam port. At the same time this would also make it win back customers who have been using the ports of Mombasa in Kenya and Beira in Mozambique.
The deputy minister said the project, to be completed in 12 to 18 months, will cost $600 million.
"The design of the project is ready, tender documents are also ready and we are only waiting for funds," he said.
The deputy minister said construction of the berth will go hand in hand with widening the docking channel that will cost $500 million.
"We need to impress upon all landlocked countries to use Dar es Salaam port because third and fourth generation ships will be docking here since it will be better equipped," Dr Mfutakamba said.
In a letter to the Tanzania Ports Authority, the government has directed the management to cooperate with inland container depots to decongest the port and ensure that all registered depots have containers.
"There has also been a problem; that even owners of cargo don’t know where their cargo should be stored," he said.
According to the World Port Source, the port of Dar es Salaam is Tanzania’s major port, center for industries and is situated in the country’s largest city and seat of government.
Located on the shores of eastern Africa off the Indian Ocean, the port of Dar es Salaam is about 41 nautical miles south-southeast of the port of Zanzibar and 170 nautical miles south of Mombasa.
Earlier, it was reported that Dar es Salaam port will embark on an expansion programme to establish a second container terminal at the space-strapped dock by 2013/14.
The project, which will start soon, is estimated to cost $400-650 million, Dr Mfutakamba said.
Most imports from six landlocked countries pass through this port as do imports to the 40-million people of Tanzania. Unfortunately, Dar es Salaam port lost about 30 per cent of its traffic to Mombasa and Beira ports in early 2009.
The main reason was lack of capacity at the Dar es Salaam port. This was a bottleneck which prevented big investments that Tanzania craves for.
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