Category: Editor’s Picks

A cyber attack has reportedly targeted a state-run container terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India’s main container port. JNPT officials said that “operations were normal and there was no impact on trade.”

However, sources confirmed that the cyber attack was so severe that all automated operations are down at the moment, and everything is back to the paper-and-pen scenario. The security breaking of the management information system has prompted JNPT to reroute one ship to other terminals.

Among India’s main ports, Jawaharlal Nehru Port handles over half of the entire containerized freight volume. In addition to JNPCT, the port contains four privately-run terminals, two of which are operated by DP World and the other two by APM Terminals (Gateway Terminals India) and PSA International, respectively.

“The initial impact on Indian organizations is not known yet as very few organizations in India have reported the attack to officials. It is important for companies to report such incidents to CERT-in, the emergency response team of the government,” an industry executive said.

This is the second such attack in the last few weeks after the Wannacry ransomware rattled scores of countries. The attackers released data that they had encrypted only on paying a ransom in the form of bitcoins.

Avin International, a Greek shipowner, has taken delivery of Kriti Future, the world’s first ammonia-fuel equipped vessel. The 274-meter-long tanker’s delivery ceremony was conducted on January 10, 2022, at New Times Shipbuilding.

This Suezmax tanker has been classed by American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and will operate under the Greek Flag. China-based New Times Shipbuilding (NTS) was responsible for the construction of the 274m long ship.

The vessel is now conventionally fuelled, although it meets the ABS Ammonia Ready Level 1 standards, suggesting that it is meant to be converted to run on ammonia in the future. In addition, the vessel satisfies the ABS LNG Fuel Ready Level 1 criteria.

“This vessel marks a significant milestone in the evolution of the maritime sector and a step forward in the readiness to use alternative marine fuels,” said Filippos Nikolatsopoulos, ABS Manager, Greece Business Development. According to ABS, Ammonia Fuel Ready Level 1 means the vessel meets the standards established in the ABS Guide for Gas and Other Low-Flashpoint Fuel Ready Vessels.

ABS’ alternative fuel ready package of advice and qualification programs is designed to provide owners with the flexibility they require while also preparing them for a future in which alternative fuels, such as ammonia, play a larger role.

ABS, SDTR Marine, and the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI) collaborated in January 2022 to create a methanol-fueled bulk carrier design.

Denmark is the first European Union country to lift all domestic Covid-19 restrictions, including the use of face masks. The Scandinavian country no longer considers Covid-19 “a socially critical disease”.

“We say goodbye to the restrictions and welcome the life we knew before” the pandemic, Frederiksen said. “As of Feb. 1, Denmark will be open.”

Late-night sales of alcohol have resumed and night clubs have reopened. The local Danish coronavirus app is also no longer needed in order to enter into venues. Despite of the increasing cases, the country has decided to lift all the restrictions in an attempt to go back to normal life. That is due to the country’s high vaccination rate, experts say.

Other European countries took a variety of approaches, with some easing virus restrictions while others tightening them.

Officials believe the Danish approach is motivated by the fact that, while the omicron variant is on the rise in the country, it is not putting a strain on the health system, and Denmark has a high vaccination rate. In Denmark, more than 80% of the population over the age of 5 has been vaccinated with both doses with 60% of the population been given the third booster dose.

Denmark, a country of 5.8 million people, has witnessed more than 50,000 new cases each day in recent weeks, but the proportion of Covid-19 patients in hospital ICUs has decreased. “The pandemic is still here but with what we know, we now dare to believe that we are through the critical phase,” Frederiksen said, calling the development “a milestone.”

Denmark’s decision to reclassify the virus substantially advances a viewpoint that has lately arisen throughout Europe: it’s time to start thinking about Covid as an endemic rather than a pandemic.

Some other nations were moving in the same direction as Denmark. 

England abolished practically all domestic restrictions last week: masks are no longer necessary everywhere, immunization permits are no longer required for any place, and individuals are no longer encouraged to work from home. After a positive Covid test, the sole legal necessity is to self-isolate.

Ireland has relaxed most of its prohibitions, and the Netherlands has eased its limitations as well, but Dutch pubs and restaurants must still close at 10 PM.

France is also planning to lift some restrictions, even though it is still reporting the continent’s highest cases. It plans on changing notably outdoor mask rules in Paris, a part-time work-from-home order, and limits on crowd sizes. However, face masks are still mandatory in indoor places, night clubs are closed, and no eating or drinking is allowed in cinemas or in public transport.

Italy, on the other hand, has been tightening its restrictions during the omicron surge. Italy requires at least a negative test within the previous 48 hours to enter banks and post offices, and anyone over 50 who has not been vaccinated risks a one-time 100-euro ($112) fine.

In Denmark, Some rare restrictions will remain in place – for example, for unvaccinated travelers attempting to cross the border from outside Denmark’s free travel zone, or the use of face masks in hospitals and care homes.

Four Japanese marine transport businesses have been sanctioned by India for price-fixing tactics in the automobile carrier industry. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) issued a final order on January 24, 2022, against Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line), Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K-Line), Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), and Nissan Motor Carrier Company (NMCC).

The four firms were punished for “cartelization in the supply of marine motor vehicle transport services to automobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for various trade routes.” According to the commission, among the four firms, NYK Line, MOL, and NMCC were the lower penalty petitioners before CCI.

The companies were found to have violated India’s Competition Act, which forbids anti-competitive agreements. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) issued a total punishment of approximately $8.5 million, as well as holding company leaders accountable for anti-competitive behavior and issuing a cease-and-desist order against the unlawful cartel.

According to the commission, the four automobile carrier service providers “resorted to multilateral as well as bilateral contacts, meetings, and e-mails with each other to discuss commercially sensitive information.” They communicated freight pricing information on a regular basis. “They also attempted to retain or improve their market position and pricing, notably by opposing price reduction demands from particular OEMs.”

Fines after reduction

Each of the enterprises has now applied to the CCI for a reduction in fines. The greatest penalties, totaling roughly $3.84 million, was issued on Nissan Motor Carrier Company and its workers, after being reduced by 30%. The fine imposed against K-Line and its employees is approximately $3.24 million, while MOL and its employees were fined approximately $1.35 million after a 50 percent reduction. On review, the ICC decided to reduce by 100 percent the fine against NYK and its employees. The companies were also ordered to stop any cartel actions and not peruse agreements in the future.

It is not the first time that automobile carriers have been discovered to have engaged in cartel behavior. NYK pleaded guilty in Australia in 2016 to illegal cartel behavior involving the export of automobiles. In the long-running Australian case, K-Line pleaded guilty to illegal cartel behavior in 2018, and Wallenius Wilhelmsen in 2020. MOL was included in the Australian case which was also said to revolve around a similar “rule of respect.”

In 2017, the South Korean Fair Trade Commission identified that numerous organizations, including MOL, NYK, K-Line, Nissan Motor Carrier, Hoegh, Wilhelmsen, and others, had violated South Korean antitrust legislation for automobile carrier services. The FTC penalized nine firms over $37 million, however, MOL and Nissan Motor Carrier Co. were granted leniency and were not penalized.