Pratik Bijlani – The Kerala State Government has filed a $1.1 billion compensation claim against Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) following the sinking of MSC Elsa 3 off the Kerala coast in late May. The claim seeks $1 billion for environmental damage, $44 million for restoration efforts, and $61.3 million for economic losses suffered by the…
Pratik Bijlani – Vizhinjam International Seaport, India’s first deepwater transshipment port, is gearing up to commence direct export-import (EXIM) operations by September 2025, marking a major milestone in the nation’s maritime logistics. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), which operates the port, is actively scaling up infrastructure to achieve a 40:60 EXIM-to-transshipment cargo mix…
Pratik Bijlani – On 10th July, the Company of Master Mariners of India (CMMI) hosted its highly anticipated monthly lecture at Synergy Maritime Services Office in Powai, drawing participation from both in-person attendees and a large online audience. The lecture, titled “Human Factors Demystified: From Safety-I to Safety-II”, was delivered by Capt. Abhijit Balakrishnan, Safety…
On 09 July, the Maritime History Society (MHS) hosted the much-anticipated inaugural lecture in its Monsoon Musings series, titled “Maritime Might of the Chola Empire.” The lecture was delivered by the distinguished historian, Dr. Radhika Seshan, at the Agastya Auditorium in INHS Asvini. Dr. Seshan offered a compelling narrative on the ambitious naval expedition by…
‘Keel Laying’ ceremony of third Fleet Support Ships (FSS) was held at M/s L&T Shipyard, Kattupalli on 09 July, in the presence of VAdm Rajaram Swaminathan, Controller Warship Production & Acquisition and senior officials from the Indian Navy, HSL and M/s L&T. Indian Navy had signed a contract with HSL for acquisition of Five Fleet…
The Catastrophic Collapse of Norms Against the Use of Force In the aftermath of the twentieth-century world wars, governments created “a new legal order that elevated economic tools over military might to ensure peace”. But that order is eroding. U.S. President Donald Trump, in particular, is now trying to “restore war or the threat of…
facilities, especially its over 18,000 centrifuges, after last week’s long range US attacks using B-2 bombers armed with GBU-57 bulker-busting bombs flying from Missouri, USA. Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon briefing last Thursday made it clear that they had been “obliterated” and this was repeated by President Trump on Sunday who claimed with some finality that Iran…
The Directorate General of Shipping and Gujarat Maritime Board, in collaboration with the Ship Recycling Industries Association and the Institute of Marine Engineers India, organized a one-day workshop on “Entry into Force of the Hong Kong Convention – The Way Forward” in Bhavnagar, Gujarat on 30th June. The event marked a significant milestone in the…
The Leo Barnes Union of Seafarers of India (LUSI) has issued a formal appeal to the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), urging decentralization of key seafarer verification processes to regional Mercantile Marine Departments (MMDs). The union argues that the current system—requiring physical presence at DGS Mumbai—places disproportionate logistical and emotional strain on seafarers, especially those…
The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) has once again demonstrated its unwavering commitment to seafarer welfare with the successful repatriation of 22 Indian crew members from MT Nirvana. This long-standing case of crew abandonment has been successfully closed, thanks to the decisive action by DG Shipping, with vital support from the International Transport Workers’…