Emirates Shipping Line announces first sailing

The newly-launched container carrier Emirates Shipping Line will commence operations with its first sailing from Colombo on May 24 that will inaugurate the new Indus Express service calling at Colombo, Tuticorin, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Barcelona, New York, Norfolk, Charleston, Barcelona and back to Colombo.

The carrier has not confirmed its partners but separate reports indicate the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) and Zim Line. Fairplay quoted Sudhir Rangnekar, SCI Director (Liner and Passenger Services) as saying the new weekly service will comprise eight 2,600-TEU vessels operating on a round voyage of 56 days.

SCI will contribute two vessels, Zim has three and ESL, which is registered in Dubai and Hong Kong, has another two. MacAndrews, a subsidiary of CMA CGM, will contribute one vessel.

Rangnekar said, "Since we do not own container vessels, our expansions will depend on the charter market. We will plan more liner services once the market is eased up."

Iraq will spend $25m on expanding tanker fleet

According to the Middle East North Africa Financial Network the Iraqi Transport Ministry has allocated $25 million to purchase two oil tankers. The report quoted an official at the Iraqi Oil Tanker Company who added that the capacity for each tanker was to be 10,000 tonnes of crude.

This move is seen as a step towards rebuilding the Iraqi tanker fleet that currently stands at just 60,000 tons capacity following the war with Iraq and both subsequent conflicts

Iran's NITC plans rapid expansion

According to Reuters, Iran's state-owned National Iranian Tanker Company has invested about $2 billion on 17 new oil tankers, and could order at least 30 more LNG carriers by the end of the year.

A senior official is quoted as saying that NITC aims to become a global player in energy transportation and will register the ships outside Iran under financing agreements, to keep operating in the event of sanctions from its nuclear spat with the West.

He said NITC was currently awaiting the delivery of 13 VLCCs of 315,000 to 318,000 tonnes each, expected between the end of 2007 and early 2009. This will see the Iranian supertanker fleet size grow to 28.

"These are additions and not replacements, because we have a very young fleet at the moment with an average age of about 10 years," the spokesman said.

Indian sailors on foreign ships may fall under IPC

Exim News reported last week that the Union Shipping Ministry is preparing a legislation to include Indian sailors working on foreign vessels in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) even when they are beyond the territorial waters of the country.

According to a senior official, a crime that occurs on a foreign vessel traversing Indian waters or on an Indian vessel in foreign waters would not cause a problem since India has jurisdiction over its waters and the vessel. However, when an Indian sailor working on a foreign vessel is killed on the high seas or in the territorial waters of a foreign country, the government cannot intervene and the ministry has been concerned about growing cases of disappearance of sailors.

In one case, a tug with a crew of 10 Indian sailors disappeared without a trace close to the South African coast last September while towing a vessel to Alang for shipbreaking.

SCI borrows $206m for VLCC acquisition

The Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) has announced it has arranged loans worth $206 million with separate banks to cover two 319,000-dwt VLCCs under construction by Daewoo Shipbuilding in South Korea and these loans combined constitute the highest ever borrowing by the SCI at one time, for the acquisition of ships.

The two vessels are the largest-ever ships to be ordered for Indian registry exceeding two previous VLCCs of 316,000 dwt each, also acquired by SCI. One VLCC will be financed by State Bank of India and the other by KfW, Germany, in association with Citigroup and Nordea Bank.

- The writer is a Dubai-based marine consultant.