1.PRE - G O LDE N JUBI LE E ISSUEVOL. 1ISSUE 2Honouring The Past - Celebrating The Present - Welcoming The Future

2. Indian Institute of Freight Forwarders An Education and Training wing of Federation of Freight Forwarders Association in India (FFFAI)Conducting IIFF-FIATA Diploma in Freight Forwarding and various other training courses in Logistics The programme is validated by FIATA & is conducted by Indian Institute of Freight Forwarders, The premium logistics institute is promoted by Federation of Freight Forwarders Association in India. This Diploma Course is designed to conduct for the benefit of Senior Executives of Logistics fraternity and freshers seeking carrer in Logistics Industry . The course covers wide spectrum of subjects with case study and onsite training. The Diploma programme has witnessed huge response from the industry and experiencing a full classroom participation. IIFF also offer Internship and Placement Assistance for successful candidatesCertificationINDIAN INSTITUTE OF FREIGHT FORWARDERSOffice No. 311, 3rd Floor, Mahinder Chambers, Opp.Dukes Factory, W.T.Patil Marg, Chembur, Mumbai 400 071. Tel.: 67107495/96 Email: info@iiff.in website: www.iiff.in . www.fffai.org2fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 2Certificates will be awarded by FIATA, Zurich, SwitzerlandEmpowering The Freight Forwarder 3. CONTENTS - Vol.1 - No.2 DEC. 2012message from chairman2Launching FFFAI News inaugural issue9 FFFAI News FFFAI In-House Magazine & EzineIndia As An Aviation Hub Time For Collaboration -Vipin VohraPublisher Shantanu Bhadkamkar25 FFFAI Launches Women WingA platform for Women empowermentEditor Shankar Shinde Technical Content Case Laws, Important Notices / Notifications / Clarifications, Q&A, Nailesh Gandhi, T.V. Sujan, Anthony DSouza, George Joseph, Madhusudan Kumra, A.V Vijaykumar, Vinod Chowdhary, Vinod Gandhi, M.G.Sachdeva Quiz, Contests & Competitions Philomena Pereira Coordinator Regional Reports Capt. Ashish Samarth Printing & Distribution Sailesh Bhatia Advertisements & Sponsors Sarfaraz Khan Office Bearers & Presidents of Member Associations Young Forwarder Will include once finalized Thinkable Thoughts Arun Kumar Sharma In Lighter Vein Amit Kumar Jain Member News Personal Achievements Amit Kamat IIFT News Radhakrishnan R. Pankaj Shah Womens Wing Philomena Pereira Councellers Corner Prakash Khemka Printed & Published by Shantanu Bhadkamkar on behalf of Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations in India (FFFAI). Printed at Nikeda Art Printers Pvt Ltd., Unit No. H & I, Kanjur Industrial Estate, Quarry Road, Near Mangatram Petrol Pump, LBS Road, Bhandup (W), Mumbai - 78 and published at Mahinder Chambers, Opp. Dukes Factory, W.T. Patil Marg, Chembur, Mumbai 400 071. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means including photocopying or scanning without the prior permission of the publishers. Such written permission must also be obtained from the publisher before any part of the publication is stored in a retrieval system of any nature. No liabilities can be accepted for inaccuracies of any description, although the publishers would be pleased to receive amendments for possible inclusion in future editions. Opinions reflected in the publication are those of the writers. The publisher assumes no responsibilities for return of unsolicited material or material lost or damaged in transit. All correspondence should be addressed to FFFAI. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Mumbai only.Sankalpa Bhattacharjya, 14 KPMGa- well researched... made10Navratna PSE Navratna CMD... Shri Sabyasachi Hajara, CMD, SCIGOLDEN JUBILEE ISSUE VOL. 1ISSUE 2Honouring The Past - Respecting The Present - Welcoming The Futureordinary members offers 24 IIFF - FIATAFreightCourses in Logistics & Forwarding27 FFFAI delegation meets DG Shipping28 Ifcba Presents Views On Smes and the Wco Economic....Empowering The Freight ForwarderName of Member Associations Ahmedabad Custom House Agents Association Aurangabad Custom House Agents Associations Association of Custom House Agents Trivandrum Bangalore Custom House Agents Association Ltd. Bombay Custom House Agents Association Calcutta Custom House Agents Association Chennai Custom House Agents Association Cochin Custom House Agents Association Coimbatore Custom House & Steamer Agents Association Custom House Agents Association Hyderabad Delhi Customs Clearing Agents Association Goa Custom House Agents Association Indore Custom House Agents Association Kakinada Custom House Agents Association Kandla Custom House Agents Association Ludhiana Custom House Agents Association Mangalore Custom House Agents Association Mundra Custom House Agents Association Nagpur Custom House Agents Association Nashik Custom House Agents Association Pune Custom House Agents Association Rajasthan Custom House Agents Association Tuticorin Custom House Agents Association Visakhapatnam Customs Clearing Agents Associationfffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 21 4. message from chairmanA Dream is not what you see during the sleep, its the thing which doesnt let You sleep Dear Members, The much awaited In-house Newsletter of FFFAI, FFFAI NEWS, launched in September was well received not just by members but also by all other stakeholders, including the international community. The response has been really awe-inspiring; within a month of launch, we came out with the second print of the first edition due to the great demand we had for the copies; we really cherish this opportunity of bringing the newsletter to our valued members and stakeholders. Encouraged with this response, we are extremely pleased to come out with this Golden Jubilee Edition of the FFFAI News. We will be happy if we were able to achieve higher heights with a degree of completeness by active participation of everyone. On 2nd December 1962, the then Union Finance Minister, Morarji Desai inaugurated the `Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations in India` in presence of a notable gathering. Shantanu Bhadkamkar The Federation brings together Customs House Agents Associations and their members Chairman, FFFAI under one umbrella. The Golden Jubilee of FFFAI coincides with 50 years of the Customs Act62. Golden Jubilee is a great time to look back and celebrate what one has achieved. On behalf of all the Executive Committee Members of FFFAI, I extend my greetings to all the Members of FFFAI & also to all the stakeholders in the International Trade, who are our partners in this inspiring journey. This anniversary is for us an occasion to acknowledge with gratitude the loyalty and support which we have received from all the members since the foundation in 1962. It is especially an opportunity to thank all those of you, who helped others for past 50 years, fellow brethren Customs House Agents leadership in your customs station, who by their voluntary service have served not just the members but also have been a link and an integral part of FFFAI. Fellow Executive Committee Members and Managing Committee Members of the Member Associations, I would like to think that your work will be particularly recognised during this Jubilee year. I send my warmest good wishes to all the member associations for the support, particularly to the founder members for the five long decades, of contributing towards emergence of extremely competent Customs House Agents with High Standards of professionalism and ethics to the world of international trade. We wish to thank all the people who were behind this Newsletter, particularly those giving us the opportunity to interview them, to all those who have contributed articles the newsletter. We extend a warm thanks to the Secretarial Staff lead by the Honorary Secretary, Mr Amit Kamat for facilitating the research which went behind this newsletter; as also the Honorary Treasurer, Mr Shankar Shinde who in addition holds the responsibility of the Editor for taking pains in making this newsletter possible. I hope also that this time of celebration across the membership will not simply be an occasion to be nostalgic about the past. I believe that, young or old, we have as much to look forward to with confidence and hope as we have to look back on with pride. It is but natural that , the entire fraternity of Customs House Agents looks forward to celebrate this grand occasion in befitting manner by not just organising various events but also by taking new initiatives. While we share them from time to time, I am pleased to enlist some: The Golden Jubilee year had a scintillating start with the blessing of the President of India With our submissions being appreciated by the Secretary General Of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) during the Meeting with WCO SG at New Delhi, we now play a greater role in Global Trade Policy. This meeting was followed by another meeting in WCO Hq at Brussels and a Presentation to WCO Permanent Technical Committee on Economic Competitiveness Package. We had the unique honour to make the very first presentation by the private sector to the world body. The WCO represents 179 Customs administrations across the globe that collectively process approximately 98% of world trade. We launched Golden Jubilee Celebrations Mini Seminar Series, inviting eminent experts to address the Executive Committee Members. During the Golden Jubilee Celebrations we also launched the CSR initiatives: oInitiatives included, honouring Sport persons, Gallantry Award decorated Armed Force Personnel, Police Personnel and other members of the Society. It was a great experience being with the achievers who not just represented INDIA in the international events but also left their mark in world of sports. Throughout the year, we will continue to honour the people who have contributed to the nation building at each location.2fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 2Empowering The Freight Forwarder 5. o In a significant step Launch of Womens Wing & Youth Wing, empowering both Women and Youth to take play a greater role in the industry, including in leadership responsibility We also spread our wings wider by launching the CFS Wing, extending our platform to important stakeholders in our Industry. We will continue to widen our base further. The proposed FFFAI Convention in the mid next year will be an international event. The proposed activities during the convention include o Hosting of IFCBA meeting in India for the first time o Half Day IFCBA Seminar to expose members to Customs Practices all over the world o For the first time we will have International Networking Meetings facilitating greater national and international participation o A Mini Tradefair, followed by a major Tradefair by the end of next year is also on cards FFFAI will be ISO Certified by the time you get this Newsletter On this happy occasion, I take pleasure in presenting to the members, FFFAI Handbook; I hope it will adorn your table. With an equally determined initiative, FFFAI will launch SBI FFFAI Co-Branded Imprest Card, which has numerous features of advantage to the members, and are for the first time ever available in India. Our fellow Executive Committee Members, Mr Sarfaraz Khan & Mr Sailesh Bhatia, deserve a big thank from everyone for making this possible. On knowledge front we have a joint initiative with KPMG on coming out with the State Of Industry Report. We are also discussing cooperating on Thought Leadership initiatives; the world looks towards India, not just as an emerging market but also as a powerhouse of knowledge and thought leadership. ...the list is big, as the confidence posed by everyone is so overwhelming that my team, a highly motivated group of leaders, puts more demands as we continue to achieve one goal after another. The Newsletter and email alerts will continue to update you on it. With various events lined up and promising initiatives such as the extending the training programs of IIFF to various cities, the golden jubilee year promises to be amongst most important milestone in the era of our federation. It is imperative that we all hear the call of national apex body, do our bit to contribute actively and use this occasion to relive those days of nostalgia and everlasting memories, and aim higher for the future. Our mission and goals have shown us the way, the perspicacity of vision of the founders & the correctness of execution of those who succeeded; together, FFFAI & Member Associations, we have made the Custom House Agents, an institution of service excellence, an uncompromising engine of progress and a catalyst of growth of international trade. As Chairman of FFFAI in the Golden Jubilee Year, I take pride of the fact that our members have made significant contributions in facilitating the countrys International trade; on personal level, I am proud of being a Custom House Agent. There has never been a better time to get involved with the fellow Customs House Agents & International Freight Forwarders in shaping the future of our Industry. Please set apart some time out of your busy schedule so that we can get in to an active and fruitful work initiative for betterment of our members in particular and International Logistics Industry in general; let us get into an active dialogue to discuss the future plans. We solicit your well considered suggestions for common good. If youre not yet actively engaged and want to join the important work we are doing, I urge you to participate in our activities and engage directly by taking lead in any of the events or assignments its easy, costs you nothing and provides an avenue for direct involvement in the largest network of Logistics Professionals. We live in interesting times to say the least and there is lot to be done. I hope youll join us in advancing our ever-evolving initiatives! Let us all interact, come together and act to make the upcoming events the biggest and the most remembered. We hope this edition of the newsletter will be as cherished and enjoyed by the members as much as we enjoyed compiling it. Wishing you a happy reading time..., and look forward to hear from you. I will like to conclude by words of John F. Kennedy Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. ... AND ADVANCE WISHES TO ALL FOR A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR! Thanks again With Warm regards Shantanu Bhadkamkar, Chairman, Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations In India (FFFAI)Honouring The Past - Celebrating The Present - Welcoming The FutureEmpowering The Freight Forwarderfffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 23 6. editorialShankar Shinde Editor FFFAI NewsUntapped sectorsLooking towards opportunities for CHAs and Freight Forwarders It is pleasure to be the part of Federation of Freight forwarders Association In India (FFFAI) during the Golden Jubilee celebration, it is with our FFFAI ChairmanMr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar s vision with dream encouraged us to drive our agenda to have FFFAI News which has been a good opportunity and learning experience to lead the FFFAI news . Its time to look back and take the stock and asses the present to be proactive for future at par with International practices to align with our Golden Jubilee theme - Honouring the past, celebrating the present , and to welcome the future. FFFAI news will strive to work hard to protect and promote its members and empower them to be proactive to compete for future. FFFAI news shall be our fraternity mouthpiece to communicate, educate and impart knowledge with our members .Our team will strive to work and focus on empowering the freight forwarder to compete national and International and this will help our members to build confidence and update to co-op up with the changing challenging scenarios. FFFAI news will help our members to address their difficulties and reach to the concern persons at various trade and Government bodies as this will be an quarterly release issue with specific themes covering various modes of Transport Sea, Air, Land, Coastal Shipping , Inland waterways, and Intermodal transport in National and International Level along with Government issues related to development of trade. This would further look for creating opportunities for members with innovative technique and entering untapped sectors. We would cover major aspect effecting our industry and the solutions to the issues by consulting to the experienced and knowledgeable personalities. There will be a continuity flow of themes so that every issue becomes important for members and other trade bodies to relate. I would request all members to participate and use this media to address the relevant issues related to our industry and forward the articles , news , photographs to keep our members updated about their regions. This in-house magazine will also be an opportunity for our Members to promote their organisation through advertising and providing details of their services. I would also like to appeal all Customs House Agents to be the part of our FFFAI by enrolling into the membership of FFFAI, and other logistics service provider to be the allied Member, and carry pride to be the Member of National Association. Shankar Shinde Editor FFFAI News shankar.shinde@globalbm.com4fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 2Empowering The Freight Forwarder 7. featurecustom house agentsWake up Call for CHAs Its just the fear of loosing customers, the CHAs carry in the market which would lead to killing each other and it would be too late for players to wake up later, by the time the business are at stake and vanished.Looking up for a meaning in dictionary we could read the above definition, however what could be the wake up call for us at present? is really what we all need to look for and also be prepared for the challenges and take precautions to sustain our business and protect ourselves which is the major concern for our CHA Industry . Stop giving credit or Perish, its time now where CHAs and Logistics players have to look into their business models to sustain and grow else they would perish, Customers are just using CHAs and Logistics players to finance their business , and use as many CHAs as possible to extend the credits and twist the arms , when it comes to payments they just want to raise the debit notes and set off the account is being feared by the CHA industry and in fear to not lose a customer they just carry on with the huge liabilities of providing credits without understanding their way ahead is nothing but perishing . On the other hand the CHAs pay advances to their vendors (shipping line / CFSs etc..) and CHA fraternity fails to understand whether did shipping lines have lost their customer for collecting D/D. and advance payments from CHA or Logistics players then how could CHA lose their customers, its just the fear the players carry in the market which would lead to killing each other and it would be too late for players to wake up later by the time the business are at stake and vanished. There is an need for the training of financial control in CHA, as they need to understand the business they are into, the proportionate of margin to forego towardsfinancial burdens of interest and the risk of payments deduction by customers would just lead to negative yields rather than doing their businesses, It would yield more by investing in bank saving account. The CHAs further due to financial crunch add on the liability of borrowing funds at higher interest without considering the margins on the business the invest their high cost funds for customers at lower margins, the low yields and high cost of business administration and infrastructure are further killing the businesses. Other than above we continue to face issues on operations: 1. CHALRs regulation powers to suspension 2. KYC norms limitation 3. Onus on CHA for failure of Agencies to control frauds and smugglings 4. CHA s are procecuted and imprisoned for no fault 5. Red Sanders Smuggling Cautions Government systems not equipped to control 6. Low cost operators are hamster running on a treadmill, you are not going anywhere. As such their is a need to analyse what else are the wake up call for our industry from every members perspective , which can be highlighted and corrective actions can be taken. Welcome reader inputs at shankar.shinde@globalbm.comWhat next Financial crises: how to make money work?Empowering The Freight Forwarderfffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 25 8. OFFICE BEARERS Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar CHAIRMANMr. Raman Raj Sud IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMANMr. V.S.Pradeep VICE CHAIRMANMr. A. V. Vijayakumar VICE CHAIRMANMr. Nailesh V. Gandhi VICE CHAIRMANMr. Amit Kamat HON. SECRETARYMr. A. R. Ramaraj VICE CHAIRMANMr. Philip CC VICE CHAIRMANMr. Narinder Prabhakar VICE CHAIRMANMr. Shankar Shinde Hon. TreasurerBoard of Advisors Shri Arvind N. ParikhShri Vinod R. GandhiShri Vinod K. ChowdhryShri N.T.Rama RaoShri Kurien MathewShri Rafeeq IqbalShri P.S.Krishnan6Shri Naval H. MehtaShri M.G.SachdevaShri Ram Sharma ChunduruMr. R. Radhakrishnanfffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 2Empowering The Freight Forwarder 9. Executive Committee Members Mr. Samir J ShahCapt.Piyush SinhaMr.Ashish Pednekar Mr. O.G. Hari RajMr. Pankaj ShahMr. Sailesh BhatiaMr. C. B. Bujangaram Mr. S. ParthasarathyMr. K. Suresh Kumar Mr. K.S. DesikanMr.Sarfaraz A. Khan Mr.Omprakash AgrawalMr. Raghu JairamMr. Alan JoseMr.Shashidhar V.HebbarMr. Debashis DuttaMr. Devendra ThakkerMr. PuttarajuMr. Ravi JoshiMR. GEORGE JOSEPHMr.Shankar Prasad Verma Mr. Debashis Modak Mr. S. NatrajaMr. R.Rajesh Kumar Mr.Dilieep T. Abraham Mr.G.A.Kalyana Moorthy Mr. C.S.NarendarMr.Mohd. Nayeemuddin Mr. Adil KhanMr.Shailendra Jain Mr. Kailash GuptaMr. Amit Kumar Jain Mr. Arun SharmaMr. SUDHIR KUMAR JAINMr. Pramod Soneta Mr. Rajesh VermaMr. Madhusudan Kumra Mr. Manoj H. Kotak Mr. Manish Mishra Mr. Shareef. M.Mr. M. Shekhar PujariMr.Prakash KhemkaMr. Sudhir AgarwalMr. S. Y. RanadeMr.K.V.Krishna KumarMr. P.V. JagannathMr. Parmanand ChandMr.Rajender Kumar Goyal Mr. S. Ramakrishna Mr. J.A. DSouzaMr.Anurag VijayvargiyaMr. Jagvir SinghJain Mr.Suresh Kumar Sharma Mr. A.V. Ranga Rao Mr. Ramesh Bansal Mr. T. V. SujanCapt. Ashish SamarthEmpowering The Freight ForwarderMr.J.P.Joe Villavarayar Mr.C.Karthikeya Prabufffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 27 10. Nominee of Associate MembersMr. Dilip BhatMrs.Philomena PereiraMr. Kiran RambhiaMr. Rajendra GarachMr. S.B. SalianMr. SURESH DALVIMr.Tej Mayur ContractorMr. Kishore T.S.Mr.C.S.Nagendra PrasadMr. Subrata GhoshMr. Sudip DeyMr. Sujit ChakrabortyMr. Vishal DadhaMr. D. VijaykumarMr. B. N. RajmoghonMr.N.V.S.PrasadList of Councils and sub-committees (2011-13) Name of council Sea Freight Council Mr. Sailesh Bhatia - Convener Mr. Alan Jose Mr. A.V.Vijaykumar Mr. Debhasis Dutta Air Freight Council Mr. Samir J Shah - Convener Mr. Vipin Vohra Mr. Kishore T.S. Mr.V.S.Pradeep Customs Council Mr. Omprakash Agrawal - Convener Mr. Rajesh Verma Mr. Sudip Dey Mr. C. Karthikeya Prabhu Mr. Ramesh Bansal Mr. T.V.Sujan Mr. J.A.DSouza Mr.Subrata Ghosh Mr.Shailendra Jain Mr.Sudhir Agarwal ICD based CFS council Mr. Narinder Prabhakar - Convener Mr. Sudhir Agarwal Mr.Shailendra Jain Mr.Rajesh Verma Rail/Concor Capt. Piyush Sinha - Convener Mr. Anurag Vijayavargiya Multimodal Transport Council Mr.Shantanu Bhadkamkar Convener Mr. S. B. Salian IT/ EDI Council Mr. Nailesh Gandhi - Convener Mr. K.Suresh Kumar Mr. S. B. Salian8Sub-Committees Road Council Mr.George Joseph - Convener Mr. Sailesh Bhatia Mr. Nailesh Gandhi Mr. Ramesh Bansal Mr. S.Nataraja Mr.N.V.S.Prasad Mr.T.V.Sujan Port based CFS Council Mr. A.V.Vijaykumar - Convener Mr. Georg Joseph Mr. C.Karthikeya Prabhu Sub-Committees Banking Mr. Sarfaraz Khan - Convener Mr. Sudip Dey Insurance Mr. Sarfaraz Khan - Convener Mr.Debashish Modak Mr. N.V.S.Prasad Golden Jubilee Mr. R.Radhakrishnan - Convener Mr.Ashish Pednekar -Co Convener Mr.Sailesh Bhatia Mr. Pankaj Shah Mrs. Philomena Pereira Members Directory Mr. Sailesh Bhatia - Convener Mr.A.R.Ramaraj Mr.D.Vijaykumar Service Tax Mr. A.V.Vijaykuma Mr. George Joseph Trade Relations Mr. V.S.Pradeep Mr.Philip. C.Cfffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 2Government Relations Mr. Ashish PednekarDirect Tax Mr.A.Ramaraj - Convener Mr.George Joseph Mr.Sudhir AgarwalInternational Network Mr.Shantanu Bhadkamkar Convener Mr.Sailesh Bhatia Mr. V.S.PradeepKYC Mr. Rajesh Verma - Convener Mr.Debhashis Modak Mr. S.NatarajaBrochure Mr. Sailesh Bhatia Website Mr. Nailesh Gandhi - Convener Mr. Amit Kamat Mr.Shankar Shinde DMIC/ DFCC Mr. Arun Sharma - Convener Mr. Ramesh Bansal Capt. Piyush SinhaCHALR Under Customs Council Mr. S.Ramakrishna - Convener Mr. J.A. DSouza Mr. Madhudushan Kumra Mr. Devendra ThakkerConstitution Mr. Shantanu BhadkamkarISO 9001 Mr. Pankaj Shah Media Mr. Arun Sharma FFFAI certificate of competence Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar Mr.G.A.KalyanamoorthyINDIAN institute of freight forwarder (iiff)Standard Trading Conditions Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar Convener Mr. George Joesph Mr.S.RamakrishnaChairman Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar President Mr Shankar Shinde Hon. Secretary Mr. Pankaj Shah Hon. Treasurer Mr. Shankar Shinde Committee Members Mr.O.G.Hariraj, Mr. T.V.Sujan, Mr. Samir Shah, Mr. Alan Jose, Mr. V.S.Pradeep, Mr. Debashish Dutta, Mr. D.Vjaykumar, Mr. Tej Mayur ContractorCode of conduct (Harmonization) Mr. Phillip. C.CWINGSRegistration Mr.Shankar Shinde - Convener Mr. Pankaj Shah Mr. Amit Kamat Mr. K.S.DesikanVisioning Mr. Tushar Jani Mr.Shantanu BhadkamkarAppellate Mr. P.S.KrishnanCustoms Business Process Reengineering (Self Assessment) Mr. Nailesh Gandhi Membership Mr. A.RamarajInfrastructure Mr. V.S.Pradeep - Convener Mr. Prakash Khemka Mr. Philip.C.C.Disciplinary Action Mr. Shantanu BhadkamkarAEO/ MRA Mr. Samir Shah - Convener Mr. Narinder Prabhakar Mr. A.V.Vijaykumar Mr. Nailesh GandhiNews letter Mr. Shankar ShindeCHALR & Other Cases Mr. J.A.DSouzaWomen WingMSME Mr. S.Ramakrishna Mr. O.G.HarirajCFS WingsYouth WingEmpowering The Freight Forwarder 11. FFFAI NE W SINDIA AS AN AVIATION HUB TIME FOR COLLABORATION -Vipin Vohra 5th Assocham International Conference, Indian Civil Aviation With Honourable Chief Guest Mr.Ajit Singh Ji and Mr.Kapil Kaul and Manoj Singh, advisor planning comVipin Vohra mission, Mr. Tushar Pandey, Yes Bank among other dignatories was held on On 2nd December 2011 Aviation Hub Time for Collaboration Mr. Vipin Vohra (Air Freight Committee FFFAI) was invited a penallist to represent FFFAI in a panel discussion on INDIA AS AN AVIATION HUB TIME FOR COLLABORATION Mr. VipinVohra: In his address mentioned that the Aviation Sector is very interesting however we must start with a check on the available infrastructure for Indias Exim trade & Domestic Air Cargo Market. He further explained the requirements to emerge as Airport in the air cargo network of traffic & an ideal candidate for an alternative hub. Mr. Vipin Vohra emphasized that unlesswe take some key initiatives and implement them it would be a distant dream for India to be a Aviation Hub. He highlighted some keyissues that need to be addtressed andkey initiatives to be implemented they wereSufficient cargo capacity : presently the capacity available with the airlines operating out of india is not even sufficient to cater the local need of the country. No room to accommodate the transit cargo. Free port policy : the main demand is free port policy something similar to SEZ & more. Strategic geographic location : this is very important & should be accessable easily & scope for further growth. Require excellent connectivity &accessability. Extensive i.t.application High safety & security, emergency response systemEfficient cargo ground handling operations. Not just matching world class standards but exceeding it. Competitive costs (very very important) Social political harmony, including trade friendly labourpracticies. Simplificationof trade regulatons Value adds such as refrigerated warehouses, heavy cargo handling facilities & infrastructure to cope with the rush of cargo. Further to sum up he said some imperative changes are needed and briefly mentioned them. Streamline customs & other regulatories authorities on single window, required change in the customs manuals. To create infrastructure for trans shipments at all airports for handling transhipment over & above the local cargo generated from india. Government should allow freighter carriers to bring in more no. Of freighters by making cost effective airports to compete with other airports in the world and to control the rates otherwise if the capacity is not created it will have negative impact on rates for indian exporters. Community system :edi in true sence Hinterland integration & efficient national connection, domestic cargo & intl cargo coming on domestic/intl flights or by sea International recognition, brand image & confidence of all stake holders, particularly airlines & customers. Collaboration with all the stake holders in the air cargo industry. Lastly: the govt. Should think seriously to encourage air freight stations to be approved outside the airport area. This will give cost effectiveness and create more infrastructure outside the airport area to decongest the airports in india. Although the airfreight stations concept has been approvedby govt. But till date no procedure has been laid down by the govt. His thoughts were well appreciated by all.FFFAIs Values Protect WealthCustomer focusedLaw compliantEnvironmen- Simplicity Socially tally responresponsible sibleInnovationEmpowering The Freight ForwarderTax efficientSecure supply chainEmpowerment Integrityfffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 29 12. INTERVIEWshipping corpor ation of IndiaNavratna PSE Navratna CMD... Sabyasachi Hajara, started his career with SCI in 1973 after obtaining Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. He also has a degree in Law and PG Diplomas from the Norwegian Shipping Academy in Shipping and in International Maritime Law & Marine Insurance. He has vast experience in various aspects of shipping and has been representing the Indian shipping industry at various international fora such as the ILO and IMO. Presently, he is the President of the Indian National Shipowners Association, a trustee of the Mumbai Port Trust and also on the Board of Governors of the World Maritime University, Sweden as well as Director on BIMCO Board. He had also been the Vice-President and Director of International Shipping Federation.. In June 2010, the prestigious. Mr.Hajara was presented the Seatrade Outstanding Achievement Award at the prestigious Seatrade Middle East and Indian Subcontinent Awards held in Dubai. At Sailors Today Award ceremony on 21.04.12, Mr S Hajara has been coveted with prestigious Life-Time Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to the Shipping Industry. What are the benefits for you, if the government implements its plan to reserve one third of the countrys Exim cargo share for the Indian flag vessels? It immediately gives us a platform for boosting the Indian tonnage. Though India has the tonnage of barely one percent of the world, in terms of volume, Indias Exim trade is about 700 mn tones which is about 8% of the world trade. The share of Indian tonnage in Indias Exim trade is just about 8-9%. So if we have assured business of close to one third of total volume, it gives Indian shipping the tremendous platform for growth. First and foremost, India is one country which has 100% FDI in shipping. We have conveyed to the Government that we are asking to reserve 33% of Indian Exim trade for Indian flag. Whether in the containerized scenario or in tanker, or in dry bulk, if the foreign lines will find that there is an distinct advantage of being an Indian flag, it will definitely attract a lot of investment in the country and even the foreign shipping companies10fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 2will set up their shops in India. As regards allegations that reservation of cargo will increase freight rates I would say that, water always flows and reaches its own level. If in the international market there are certain levels of freight rates prevailing and by reservation of Indian cargo the rates go very much higher then everyone from the International market will be attracted to Indian cargo and it will automatically reduce the rates to reach the same levels as the international level. Such 100% FDI is not there, even in the liberal- Today, 8000 TEUs ized countries like Europe. gets transshipped They have lot of restriction across the coast in on FDI, even for shipping India per month. The and transport which are total numbers of Inconsidered as strategic in- dian coastal shipping frastructure for their lines are 6 and amongst us we offer country. With the reservation of a capacity of 42,000 cargo, there will be more TEUs. Empowering The Freight Forwarder 13. scope for FDI. If it is found that Indian Shipping Companies do not have their own strength to cater to the entire reserved cargo then obviously the cargo would always get catered to other international lines. Today in the world scenario, particularly when you consider the shipping scenario, where the supply of tonnage is far surpassing the demand and the ships are chasing cargo everywhere, you cannot have a situation in any pocket of the world where suddenly you will find that there is cargo but no ships. If the reservation happens will you ensure that the Indian Exim community will get competitive rates freight rates and will not pay higher freight charges? Indian flag vessels more taxes. In India the outgo for taxation is high, even in the best years of shipping. Today the Indian shipping companies are incurring losses and we have the so called tonnage tax which is a notional tax. We are required to pay tax depending on how much fleet we own and it has nothing to do with the book profit or loss. Obviously even if SCI has incurred loss it has to pay tonnage tax. But even in good years, the Indian shipping pays tax to the extent of 8-9%, whereas at least 95% of the world tonnage is operated from the regime where the taxation level is 0-0.5%. There is a lack of level playing field. That is the sovereigns call. If sovereign has decided to collect some tax then that should not be the factor for which you can say that because if you pay higher tax it is difficult for you to give exactly the same freight. Even for Transchart and other inquiries we are carrying cargo at the internationally competent rates. Foreign shipping lines are quoting their freights and if we have to carry, we have to match that rate. Despite the taxation, we are still offering internationally competitive rates. My point is that taxation is again something that the country is realizing for developing its soft infrastructure which is education, health etc. What will be the impact of Cabotage law? I wont say there wont be any direct immediate impact. They are trying it at Vallarpadam Port. They said that they will have to relax it at other ports as well if they do it for Vallarpadam? No it isnt true. I havent read it in any policy statement. Cabotage is getting stringent in many countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, etc. In USA the Cabotage is absolutely strict. If you have to carry US coastal cargo, the vessel has not only to be a US flag but also US built. The logic that has been put forward and accepted for relaxation is unfortunately all wrong. For instance, it has been said that there is lack of Indian tonnage. Today, 8000 TEUs gets transshipped across the coast in India per month. The total numbers of Indian coastal shipping lines are 6 and amongst us we offer a capacity of 42,000 Empowering The Freight ForwarderShri Sabyasachi Hajara Chairman & Managing Director The Shipping Corporation of India LtdTEUs. We offer five times the volume that gets shipped / transshipped today. It is said if Cabotage is relaxed, the Vallarpadam will be able to attract one million TEUs of transshipment which is transshipped through Colombo in Sri Lanka. The fact is Colombo handle total 3.8 mn TEUs out of which 2.9 mn TEUs is transshipment cargo. Out of this, altogether, the India bound cargo is 1.2 mn TEUs. The rest is for Salalah, Bangladesh. Indias volume of transshipment, routed through Colombo includes 1.2 mn TEUs which includes west and east coast cargo. To say that Vallarpadam, out of that 1.2 mn TEUs will be able to attract 1 mn TEUs beats all logic. They have pleaded and the government has relaxed Cabotage. Of course there are provisions that it is on experimental basis and it will be renewed after three years. Our point is simple, on the Indian coast we do not have a level playing field vis a vis our foreign counterparts. In our coast, for Indian cargo, you are making a situation where we are discriminated against foreign carriers who do not have the problems that we have, and they can merrily come and pick containers which we cant. In Indonesia one of the Indian shipping lines- Varun Shipping was catering to the bulk of LPG movement on its coast. Maybe about 80% of the total movement was handled by Varun. Only a year ago, Indonesia brought strict Cabotage due to which only Indonesian flag can carry their coastal cargo. In India all that you need is a no objection from INSA. Lot of cargo is moving by foreign flag as it is. Unlike India, where we have 100% FDI, in Indonesia their flag can only be owned by an Indonesian entity and the local promoter or equity partner has to have majority stake. So immediately Varun shipping had to form a JV in Indonesia with a minority stake, outstanding majority stake was owned by an Indonesian carrier. They lost the cargo because they are only a minority stakeholder in a carrier that is carrying LPG. Why do you think the foreign vessels will invest in Indian flag vessels knowing that the tax levels are higher? fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 211 14. INTERVIEWshipping corpor ation of IndiaS Hajara, Chairman, Organizing Committee, NMDC(C) and Chairman and Managing Director of Shipping Corporation of India, received the Safety Award from A P V N Sharma, I A S, secretary to the government of India, ministry of shipping, on the eve of the celebration of International Maritime day in the metro.If they dont invest they will not get the cargo. That is why if we have reservation they will have to invest and come to India, just to cater to that cargo. Do you think Indian ship-owners can increase their market share? If we have a reservation of 33% then we can increase the market share from the current 8%. How shipping Lines particularly national and CHAs can work more closely to synergize and strengthen each other? Not only as President, INSA, I am talking now as the Chairman of SCI and we have always supported the freight forwarding association and their members, freight broking assoc. and their members, Customs House agents and their members, to the best extent possible. I must also admit that wherever our services are available they have patronized our services. Wherever we are commercially competitive they have patronized us. We should strengthen it further through dialogues and closer interactions. Have you witnessed any dip in volumes in 2012? No. How has been the cargo growth? Different segments of cargo have seen different growth but the growth is there.Unfortunately, the growth in tonnage supply has been higher than the growth in cargo demand which has resulted in the charter rates coming down. As far as cargo volumes are concerned, they have been growing and only in 2009 the actual volumes dipped. After several decades, the oil consumption and trade dipped. Even in dry bulk there was a fall in 2009 which was an exceptional year. Cargo volumes are growing now but on the other side, the supply of tonnage is growing at a faster rate than the demand for that tonnage and that is why the rates are12fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 2still under pressure. From Trade is growing, 2013, I think the growth shipping will grow in supply of tonnage will with the trade. I substantially slow down. have not come At one time for dry bulk across a forecast and container, the total which projects accapacity on order was tual slowdown of more than 50% of the trade or economy. fleet capacity and today it World GDP which has come down to 20%. had grown at a very In the case of tanker, it healthy rate of 5.5% was between 30-35% and came down to 4%, today it is 12%. The deliv- and then to 3% and ery of ships will definitely now it is around 3%. come down very substan- No one has predicted tially from 2013 onwards, a negative growth since from 2009 onwards despite euro zone the order-booking had crisis or some slow come down. The peak down in China. period of ships ordering was in 2007 that translated into a historic high for ship deliveries in 2010. In those years, in every established shipyard, there was choc a block, so there was a lag of about four years between placing an order and taking delivery. Thereafter from 2011, ship deliveries slightly came down and from 2013 it will come down further, so that demand and supply mismatch will be offset to a great extent. SCI has not stopped increasing capacity. It has stopped new ordering of ships. We were aggressively ordering ships upto 2008 then we put a stop because there was recession. We knew the asset prices would come down substantially. We also found that it was putting pressure on our cash flow because the margins were already under pressure. The freight rates and charter hire were coming down drastically. We almost stopped ordering from mid 2008 till 2009 end. Then again from 2010, we have ordered a few ships but not too many. In 201112, for the first time after 28 years, SCI incurred losses. So obviously, we found that on the basis of our current cash flow situation, it will not be possible for us to order too many ships. Earlier only about 20% of our total project cost used to be borne by us through equity / internal resource generation. Today, it has even gone up because the ship financiers have burned their fingers with the world shipping companies over the last few years and they are not prepared to lend more than 6065% of loan. How is the induction of new vessels proving to be beneficial? They are bunker efficient. New ships require far less maintenance for at least one year. Trade is growing, shipping will grow with the trade. I have not come across a forecast which projects actual slowdown of trade or economy. World GDP which had grown at a very healthy rate of 5.5% came down to 4%, and then to 3% and now it is around 3%. No one Empowering The Freight Forwarder 15. What are the growth plans for SCI? Our primary thrust would continue to be on energy transportation. Currently we are looking at joint ownership of bulk carriers for import of both coking coal and thermal coal which are projected to increase manifold in future. We are also very keen to expand our role in LNG transportation and are primarily targeting future LNG projects in India. The company hopes to cross the mark of 6 million dwt this year. Our vision is to make SCI a truly global shipping company with a large fleet and presence in all major markets and continue to have robust internal processes based on the stateof- the-art IT system so as to increase the speed and accuracy of business transactions.Mr Khan, Mr. Hajara and Mr. Shindehas predicted a negative growth despite euro zone crisis or some slow down in China. What advice would you give to the future SCI CMD? When I took over, I took a view that India is a growing economy. All over the world shipping tonnage has grown when the economy has grown. Unfortunately, the growth in Indian tonnage has been very dismal. Compared to our Exim trade which was growing at 25% or more, the Indian shipping tonnage was growing only at 3-4%. The best year has been 2004 -2005, when the tonnage tax was introduced and in one year the Indian tonnage grew by 10-12%. But otherwise, if you work out Indias CAGR, the Indian shipping is growing at a 1.5-2% or thereabout. As a percentage, the Indian fleet to global fleet has come down. My first agenda was to increase SCIs tonnage. When I took over it must have been a little over 4 mn DWT and now we have close to 6mn DWT. I was looking forward to leave SCI by making SCI fleet to the level of about 8 mn DWT or there above but it was not possible because of the economic downturn. I did feel that we should have a cushion because shipping is highly cyclic industry and to have the cushion we should diversify into being a logistics solution provider, having presence in the entire chain rather than just be a shipping company. At the moment, we are just concentrating on our core business. But otherwise, terminal management was one of the area where we wanted to grow and further to have involvement even in ship building, in warehousing, ICD/CFS operations as well. My advice to my successors is that as and when shipping industry improves and we would be in the position to once again diversify, then we should attempt to be a holistic logistics solution provider rather than just a shipping company. For instance NYK & Maersk have done that which has brought them in good state. Empowering The Freight ForwarderWhat is your policy for appointing agents? Whenever business prospects are seen at any port(s), SCI invites offers from the Shipping Agencies operating at the port(s) normally through newspaper advertisements. The offers received are opened in the presence of the representatives of applicant Agencies. The offers are initially scrutinised for professional competence and financial soundness of the applicant Agencies. The applicant Agencies which qualify in the initial scrutiny are further scrutinised for their commercial competitiveness after opening the price offers in the presence of the representatives of applicant Agencies. The most commercially competitive Agency House is awarded the Agency. What has been your best moment in the industry? Since joining the Shipping Corporation of India in 1973, there were number of moments in my life which were of great importance. However, the day I became the Chairman & Managing Director of this esteemed organization, was the proudest moment in my career. This was all the more important, as I joined this company directly after passing out from the IIM, Calcutta and continued with this company for my entire career. I would also like to mention that recognizing the performance of the company, the Government of India conferred the most coveted Navratna status on SCI in August, 2008. Further, I felt very proud to head this organization at the time when the Golden Jubilee year of SCI was celebrated from 2nd October 2010 to 2nd October 2011. The Chief Guest for inaugural function of the Golden Jubilee year was Her Excellency, the, then President of India and the Chief Guest for the valedictory function was the Honble Prime Minister of India. What is your advice to the FFFAI community? Being part of such dynamic association, it is eminent for FFFAI members to keep themselves abreast of developments from time to time and to disseminate the information to stakeholders. Association must play a role in bringing down logistics and transactional cost thereby giving a boost to countrys Exim trade. fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 213 16. FEATUREKPMGs ResponseOpportunities & Challenges in the logistics industry The industry is a very mature one, as evidenced by the existence of 4,000+ players providing services ranging from basic documentation to end-to-end logistics services. Going forward, the industry is expected to consolidate significantly, and many sub-scale CHAs will need to think of new business models to remain relevant in a changing trade, regulatory and competitive landscape. What is the Status of Logistics in India and opportunities in logistics? India is one of 5 countries globally (the others being China, Turkey, Brazil and Mexico) which have a GDP in excess of USD 600bn, yet a logistics industry that is only moderately developed (measured by the World Banks Logistics Performance Index). This means that there is a significant opportunity for growth and development of the sector. In 2011, total logistics market size was estimated at USD 84billion and is expected to grow at CAGR of ~10% to reach market size of USD 112billion in 2014. During 12th Five year plan (2012-2017), Government plans to spend USD 1trillion in the infrastructure sector and expects significant contribution from private sector to meet the investment targets. Moreover, Government plans to invest USD 75billion in the improvement of road, rail, aviation and ports infrastructure and services. Factors such as rapidly growing economy, significant government investment in core infrastructure projects, increase in outsourcing of logistics activities, and steady supply side changes are expected to contribute to the growth of Transportation and Logistics sector in the fu-14fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 2ture. On the other hand, few challenges leading to the inefficiencies in the logistics sector are poor infrastructure, inefficient modal mix, capacity constraints, etc We expect that the industry will see the following trends over the next few years: 1. Polarization the advent of global client groups and logistics companies in India could result in a significant market share shift to these players 2. Verticalization logistics companies would invest in capabilities and assets to become more vertically focussed, rather than being generalists as has been the case so far 3. Standardization cargo would get increasingly get more standardized and movement / storage would become a function of weight and speed 4. Multimodal Operations Indias modal mix is expected to change to include more efficient and cheaper options, reducing the current overdependence on road 5. Distribution Efficiency India will eventually move to a model of distribution which is efficient from a process and regulation standpoint Empowering The Freight Forwarder 17. As mentioned earlier, unless CHAs de-commoditize their basic services, they may become irrelevant. Even from a regulatory standpoint, key changes such as the prevalence of EDI, self-declaration and RMS, AEO policy, ACP policy, stringent KYC norms, 24x7 clearance and single window services will require CHAs to radically rethink their models. With these changes, customers may eventually be technologically enabled to handle their own customs procedures, or this might become yet another tick-in-the-box activity, which would not attract any premium. It is therefore important for CHAs to view themselves as a higher level logistics service provider. KPMG - Sankalpa Bhattacharjya, made a well researched presentation on Logistics Industry status in IndiaRole of CHA in Logistics, and what is the industry size? What is the future growth of industry? CHAs play some important roles in the overall EXIM logistics system. They help with speedy and smooth customs clearance for cargo, ensure appropriate classification and valuation of cargo, assist in the documentation for EXIM cargo and also provide ancillary logistics services that are critical to the EXIM cargo chain. The CHA industry was estimated at USD 544mn (net revenue basis) in FY12, and is expected to grow at 1520% per annum over the next 4-5 years. In 2011, Ocean CHA contributed 63% of total CHA market and remaining 37% was contributed by Air CHA. Imports form majority of the percentage in both Ocean and Air CHA market, contributing 64% and 52% respectively. Ocean CHA market is expected to grow at CAGR of 19% and Air CHA market is expected to grow at CAGR of 16% during 2011-2016. The industry is a very mature one, as evidenced by the existence of 4,000+ players providing services ranging from basic documentation to end-to-end logistics services. Going forward, the industry is expected to consolidate significantly, and many sub-scale CHAs will need to think of new business models to remain relevant in a changing trade, regulatory and competitive landscape. Need for a CHA to diversify or add related activity Integration into other allied services The basic CHA services are commoditized to a large extent, and entry barriers in this industry are very low. This is also evidenced by the constantly declining pricing and margins for CHAs, over the years. To survive and remain profitable, CHAs need to follow some of the trends occurring in the broader logistics industry and they also need to become integrated service providers to customers, many of whom are today seeking players to provide customs handling, freight forwarding, transportation and warehousing solutions. Demanding customers with more services and lower rates how should CHA react sustainability power? Empowering The Freight ForwarderDrivers for CHA growth? Mergers / Acquisition MNC entrants in CHA industry with huge capital investment at low capital cost Perhaps the biggest driver for the CHA industry is the growth in EXIM trade itself. However, with declining pricing and regulatory pressures, there may come a point where CHA volumes continue to grow whereas the industry itself may start declining. M&A and consolidation is very much expected in this industry, but then there would also be a dearth of attractive targets; smaller, standalone CHAs therefore need to think about either adapting or perishing. MNC will continue to establish a stronghold in India. The 2000-10 decade saw the entry of most large global logistics MNCs into India. The next decade is likely to see more competition from these players, including mid-size international companies. How can CHA face such challenges? Investments perception in our industry CHAs need to change their business models dramatically to survive in this rapidly changing environment. The following 4 questions need to be evaluated very carefully: 1. What business are you in? CHA or logistics? 2. What differentiates you from your competitors? Is it price, customer relationships or something more sustainable? 3. Have you thought about the impact that IT will have on your business? Can you envision a scenario where IT will render the EXIM chain paperless? 4. What additional services can help you stay in the game and win? Can you become an advisor instead of an implementor? Current investor perception of the CHA industry is that it is highly competitive and commoditized, and this is why there have hardly been any investments in standalone CHAs. Investors prefer more integrated players who have more sustainable business models. Necessity for Coopetition in CHA? Win Win situation This is definitely an area that can be considered where groups of CHAs share resources and offer complementary services. However, the CHA function alone may not be sustainable, and diversification into newer areas may be required. fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 215 18. INITIATIVE YOUTH winguth ing yo wDear Members, It is with our Chairmans vision and Executive Committee Members support to have an youth wing Launched on 2nd December 2012 on eve of Golden Jubilee Celebration of FFFAI . Our Federation Committee Members have initiated the task to create a platform for dynamic youths of future leaders in our industry ,Federations has been playing an important role to have this youth wing launched by inviting nomination , thanks to the Members for enthusiastic response by nominating the youth. I will be happy to lead this initiative to make it a great success. Mr. Samir Shah and Mr. Tej Contractor have agreed to be Mentor for the Youth Wing. We are happy to have such personalities to develop and shape future leader in our Industry. -To enable and empower future Business Leaders in Leading the Association to Greater Heights -To encourage support FFFAI at the Local, Regional, National and International Level The Objective of youth Wing: - To provide an opportunity to the young forwarders an insight into the functioning of FFFAI and its Members Associations by including them in the current functioning of the association. - To create a platform thereby harnessing talent within the Industry to create Future Leaders of the Association. - To lead and be the future torchbearer leader of this industry and take it to greater heights especially with respect to its unique positioning and role. The Future Leader will lead by an example of integrity and knowledge. Plan of Action: To identify the Youths and create team to lead the youth wing through atleast 2 years of succession. To guide youths and plan course of action. Recommend that each member of the youth wing should be part of the committee at the local level (Ordinary Members - Youth Wing) All the Ordinary Members should nominate 2 youths from each association in FFFAI e.g. Bombay, Chennai, Delhi etc.16fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 2 The members would be selected to each sub-committee to participate and contribute for the functioning of each committee. Youth Members have to participate in different subcommittee and should not hold on in a single committee for more than 2 years , thereby providing them an overview of the complete Federation functioning. We will encourage Youth participation in events, Seminars and conferences and expect youths contribution. Background The need for Youth wing Interest and Aggressive to learn / good hand on theory study. Opportunities to participate and get familiar to Members in National forum with early Introduction. Invite new talents with changing scenarios . Transforming Theory Logistics into Practice ,Prepare good case study. Early Exposure to International forum. Encourages to Participate for The Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year Award. Participate in FFFAI Young Freight Forwarder Award. Will create good DATA of Young forwarders for nomination to any other forums of youth wing Finally pride to FFFAI and India for creating Young Entrepreneurs Who can register for youth Wing Any youth person below 30 years (Nomination through Members only) Members can nominate their Partners / Directors / Relative or Managers in Organisation. Members related youth, studying of seeking career in logistics. Youths could be studying in India or abroad - (International youth - This will help to understand International perspective in our industry) Members registered before 2nd December would be the Founder Member of Youth Wing. Shankar Shinde, Hon., Treasurer - FFFAIEmpowering The Freight Forwarder 19. ACTIVIT Y REPORTFFFAI in actionPRE-gOLDEN jUBILEE MEETING AT FFFAI OFFICE Womens Wing was launched on 14th September,2012 at Pune. Smt. Anjali Bhagwat, the Arjuna of India, the Gold Medalist and shooter. FFFAI supported 5th ASSOCHAM International Conference on Civil Aviation held on 21st September, 2012 at New Delhi. The conference was attended by Mr. Vipin Vohra Co-Convener of Airfreight Council wherein he was the speaker at the event. hairman Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar was speaker at C East Coast Maritime Business Summit held on 21-22nd September, 2012 at Visakhapatnam FFFAI supported Gujarat Junction 2012 held on 6th & 7th November, 2012 at Ahmedabad and was allotted stall at the event FFFAI supported Intermodal India 2012 held from 2527th September, 2012 at Mumbai. Mr. Shankar Shinde Honorary Treasurer delivered speech on Intermodal Transport. aritime Forum held on 28th September, 2012 was M attended by Chairman Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar FFFAI was facilitated during MALA 2012. The event was attended by Chairman Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar. Mr. Shankar Shinde Honorary Treasurer , Mr. George Joseph, Mr. Nailesh Gandin,Mr. Sailesh Bhatia had a meeting on Indian road infrastructure and opportunities for Investments for Indian Freight Forwerders with Japan Freight Forwarding Organization with the representatives of Mizuho Corporate Bank, Singapore on 12th October, 2012 at Mumbai. Mr. Shankar Shinde Honorary Treasurer attended Annual gathering of Maharashtra Heavy Vehicle & Interstate Container Operators Association held on 10th October, 2012 at Mumbai. FIATA World Congress 2012 at Los Angele was attended by Mr. Amit Kamat and Mr. Tej Contractor.Mr. Alan Jose , Mr. C.S. Narendra and Mr. N.T. Rama Rao. hairman Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar and Mr. Shankar C Shinde Honorary Treasurer attended the InteractiveEmpowering The Freight ForwarderWomens Wing MEET AT FFFAI OFFICEsession of network and short presentation on the Port of Amsterdam on 12th October, 2012 at The Trident Hotel, Mumbai. Chairman Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar attended the Gujarat Star Award held on 13th October 2012 at Ahmedbad. r. Shankar Shinde Honorary Treasurer, Mr. Pankaj M Shah and Mrs. Philomena Pereira attended the meeting held in the Office of the Commissioner of Customs (Export), Nhava Sheva on 17.10.2012 regarding illegal export of Red Sandar. omens Wing meeting was held on 30th October, W 2012 at FFFAI office. Chairman attended IFCBA meeting at Brussels and gave presentation on SMEs and the WCO Economic Competitiveness Package Meeting was held on 3rd November, 2012 at FFFAI office to discuss the preparation of Golden Jubilee Celebration on 2nd December and various other issues Chairman Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar along with other members of FFFAI met Mr. Gautam Chatterjee DG of Director General of Shipping on 5th November, 2012 Mr. Amit Kamat Honorary Secretary and Mr. Sarfaraz Khan met Honorable Minister of Shipping Mr. Milind Deora on 12th November, 2012 at Mumbai FFFAI alongwith BCHAA organised a knowledge seminarwith Yes Bank on on New Opportunities in the Logistics Sector for the Members of BCHAA and FFFAIUpcoming Events Conquest 2013 is scheduled to be held on 13th February, 2013 at New Delhi FFFAI supported Hazmat 2013 scheduled to be held on 26-27th April 2013 at Mumbai FFFAIs Chairman invited by Gateway Media Private Limited, to be Jury Member of the Gateway Awards of Excellence 2013fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 217 20. ACTIVIT YFELICITATION AND HONOURS49th AGM of the `Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations in India` (FFFAI)The 49th AGM Of the `Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations in India` (FFFAI) was held on Friday, 14th Sept 2012 at Marriot Hotel & Convention Centre, Pune. Coinciding with the AGM, from 13th Sept 2012 to 15th Sept 2012, FFFAI held the Executive Committee Meeting; the `Pune Customs House Agents Association` hosted the meeting. The Golden Jubilee Celebration Mini Seminar, a series instituted during the term followed the AGM. The meetings were attended by the Executive Committee Members from all over India. Numerous issues of importance to CHAs in particular and trade in general were discussed. Amongst the issues discussed pertained to infrastructure, capacity building including training, opening of training centres of Indian Institute Of Freight Forwarding, 24 x 7 Customs operations etc. Shri Vasa Seshagiri Rao, Commissioner of Customs Pune while being felicitated, appreciated the new initiatives taken up by FFFAI & acknowledged that Customs house Agents play an very important role in the EXIM trade of the country. The highlights of the evening event held on Friday, 14th Sept 2012 at Marriot Hotel & Convention Centre were: Launch of the `FFFAI Womens Wing`, by the ace shooter, Smt. Anjali Bhagwat, the former world number one & one of the greatest Indian women athletes of all time. Women Forwarders, members of `FFFAI Womens Wing` representing FFFAI Member locations participated in an elegant launch. Smt. Anjali Bhagwat, while launching this new initiative encouraged the women to participate in the National and International events.Giving the background for launch of this wing, Chairman Shri Shantanu Bhadkamkar explained that not only as a responsible national body, womens empowerment needs to be an integral part of our agenda but if we need increased parThe new wing will ticipation of women in help women from the industry to bridge the the second generaskill gap. He also shared tion work wide pride that in South East Asia in this industry; it and Far East, women in will also open opporfact dominated certain tunities to fresh infunctional segments of cumbents to be part the Freight Forwarding of this industry, Industry. With FFFAIs which is an impornew initiative for Brand tant segment of the Building, surely more Logistics Industry women will be attracted to this field, he felt. Smt. Philomena Pereira, the Convenor of the Womens Wing, stated that empowering women engaged in International Freight Forwarding was a need of the hour and the women were confident of taking the challenge & the newly launched wing will take new initiatives for womens empowerment in this field, she thanked Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar, Chairman of FFFAI for his encouragement & vision of initiating such an important well thought out initiative for the industry, which is largely men dominated. The new wing will help women from the second generation work wide pride in this industry; it will also open opportunities to fresh incumbents to be part of this industry, which is an important segment of the Logistics Industry.Shantanu Bhadkamkar, CHAIRMAN, FFFAI18fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 2Empowering The Freight Forwarder 21. Smt. Jyoti BhadkamNumerous issues of kar, while thanking Smt importance to CHAs Bhagwat, informed in particular and foundation of this wing trade in general was blessed by the then were discussed. President of India, H.E. Amongst the issues Smt. Pratibhatai Patil. discussed pertained During the audience to infrastructure, granted by the former capacity building President, Her Excellency including training, was very pleased to note opening of training about launch of the centres of Indian Inwomens wing, shared stitute Of Freight very encouraging words. Forwarding, 24 x 7 FFFAI also felicitated Customs operations and honoured the FFFAI Board of Advisors and presented them a Plaque, In Appreciation Of Outstanding Contribution To The Fraternity Of Custom House Agents. xecutive Committee Member & Former Vice ChairE man, Shri Ashish Pednekar was felicitated, and presented a Plaque In Appreciation Of Outstanding Contribution To The Fraternity Of Custom House Agents, in appreciation of his important role in the finalisation of CHALR 2004. The highlight also included FFFAI CSR initiative of acknowledging the contribution of sports personnel & Armed Forces to the nation. The following personalities were honoured by presentation of FFFAI Plaque of Honour In Appreciation of Outstanding Contributions to Sports in the Country & for Service to the Nation: Smt. Anjali Bhagwat, professional shooter: She has won 31 Gold, 23 Silver and 7 Bronze medals. She has set 13 new records in International competitions and has won 55 Gold, 35 Silver and 16 Bronze medals, withAnjali Bhagwat being felicitatedSubhedar Major Vijay KumarShri. Chandrakant BordeEmpowering The Freight Forwarderfffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 219 22. ACTIVIT YFELICITATION AND HONOURSShri Surendra Chavan8 new records in national competitions in India. She is recipient of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna & Arjuna Award. Subhedar Major Vijay Kumar, Sport Shooter: Silver medallist in London Olympics. Winner of 3 gold medals and a silver medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games & 2 gold medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Padma Bhushan Shri Chandrakant Borde, former Cricketer: Member of the Indian team between 1958 and 1970; he captained the Indian team in the First Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in December 1967; cricket administrator, serving as the Chairman of national selectors. He is a recipient of Arjuna Award & Padma Shri Award. Shri Surendra Chavan, Mountaineer: Scaled the Mount Everest Summit in 1998 from the North Side Shri Raj Khalid, Sport Shooter: Raj Khalid is a former national champion, he is well known to the industry as India Representative of Port of Antwerp. It was a proud and an emotional moment for all when FFFAI Plaque of Honour was presented to War Veterans, In Appreciation of Extraordinary Gallantry beyond Call of Duty & for Service to the Nation. Col. Sadanand B. Salunke, Vir Chakra (VrC): Major Sadanand B. Salunke was commanding a company of Maratha Light Infantry in Shakargarh Sector. On 10 December 1971, he was ordered to attack certain enemy positions. Major Salunke led his men and captured three enemy posts. Finding the enemy in the process of readjusting his defences, he rallied his men and launched an attack with speed and captured the objective, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. Col. Gautam Khot, Vir Chakra (VrC): Col. Gautam Khot was the first pilot of the Army Aviation to have landed at Tololing, the first victory of the Indian Army in the Kargil conflict of 1999. For his act of bravery that involved flying for over 100 hours saving the lives of his comrades and delivering ammunition and essentialShri. Raj KhalidCol. Sadanand B. Salunke20fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 2Empowering The Freight Forwarder 23. In Appreciation of Extraordinary Gallantry beyond Call of Duty & for Service to the Nationloads despite heavy enemy shelling to the troops engaged, Col Khot was awarded Vir Chakra by the President in November 2000. While acknowledging the felicitation, Col Salunke announced that it was great to be recognised for the duty executed toward the nation and we really feel proud when we are recognised for our work.The Golden Jubilee Mini Seminar included presentations by: hri Anand Deshpande, M.D. Persistent Systems Ltd, S who shared his success story and entrepreneurial vision, explaining how in each phase of growth, the entrepreneurs should change their business and themselves. He also explained that business grows in quantum leaps. hri Sankalp Bhattacharya of KPMG, made a presenS tation on the State of the Industry highlighting key findings. Shri S. D. Chand, Dy. Commissioner of Customs, President Gold Medallist and the only WCO Accredited Trainer in India made an excellent presentation on Valuation, citing several cases. In course of deliberations, it was decided to study and address the issue of DDP/DDU/DAP shipments for ascertaining the assessable value. FFFAI also proudly launched its in-house magazine, FFFAI News, a quarterly. Smartly brought out inaugural issue has raised great expectations from the next issue, which will be a Golden Jubilee issue. All the participants complemented, Capt Samarth and his team from Pune Customs House Agents Association for excellent organisation and wonderful hospitality. Shri. Anand DeshpandeShri Sankalpa BhattacharyaShri. S. D. ChandEmpowering The Freight Forwarderfffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 221 24. PICTORIAL ALBUMFFFAI - FELICITATION AND HONOURSShri. Vasa Seshagiri Rao - Commissioner of CustomsShri. Naval MehtaShri. Vinod ChowdharyShri. Rafeeq IqbalShri. P. S. KrishnanShri. Ram Sharma ChanduruShri. RadhakrishnanShri. Ashish Pednekar22fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 2Empowering The Freight Forwarder 25. Shri. Prahlad TanwarEC MeetAGM MeetAGM MeetAward CeremonyAward CeremonyFFFAI Office Bearer MeetingFFFAI News release by Vinod Chaudhary and Naval MehtaEmpowering The Freight Forwarderfffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 223 26. initiativeIIFF educ ation wing of fffaiIIFF - FIATA offers Courses in Logistics & Freight ForwardingIndian Institute of Freight Forwarders (IIFF), the education wing of Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations in India (FFFAI) has been conducting Vocational Training since 2005. FFFAI is the apex body of Custom House Agents (CHAs) in India and formed IIFF to institutionalize their training programmes. 24 CHA Associations from all over India and more than 3500 individual companies are FFFAI members. Incorporated in 1962, the 50 year old organization FFFAI is celebrating its Golden Jubilee year in 2012. Individual members of FFFAI, who are majorly CHAs are multifaceted. They are CHAs, Air Cargo Agents, Multimodal Transporters, CFS operators, 3PL Service Providers, Shipping Agents, Ocean carriers, Truckers, Consolidators, NVOCCs, International transport operators and are involved all aspects of Cargo Freight logistics. These members together provide employment to more than 100,000 persons all over India. To induct talent and value amongst its personnels, FFFAI has embarked on its vocational Training Programmes through IIFF. Twin Diploma programme is IIFFs initiative to provide National & International Diploma in Logistics and Freight Forwarding to both the professionals and freshers interested in building a career in Logistics & Freight Forwarding industry. This course will first commence in 1st week of June 2012 at Mumbai. IIFF International Diploma is a highly sought after Vocational Training programme and is accredited by FIATA, the International Apex body of Freight Forwarders. FFFAI is a member of FIATA for the last 4 decades. The FIATA Diploma course is managed by Advisory Body Vocational Training (ABVT), the education arm of FIATA. ABVT approves and validates the course material periodically and gives accreditation to the Institutes run by their Member associations to conduct the FIATA Diploma course. Globally 52 countries have validated their Vocational Training programmes through FIATA and students all over the world take benefit from these FIATA Diploma course year after year. In India, IIFF is the only institute accredited by FIATA to conduct their diploma course. FFFAI in their Golden Jubilee year have an ambitious plan to expand their education and training programme through IIFF Education Centres, in all the 24 locations of their Member Association by December, 2013. Mr. Pankaj Shah, Hon. Secretary of IIFF mentioned, IIFF is committed to provide quality education to enhance the professionalism in Freight Forwarding industry and hence we are very cautiously selecting our Faculty and24fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 2the teaching methodology. IIFF have a regular assessment programme for both students and faculty, to ensure the training course is matching with international quality and standards. Mr. R. Radhakrishnan, President of IIFF mentioned, we are planning to provide placement for their students at the end of the course and will be also affiliating with similar foreign Institutes for student exchange programme. The Twin Diploma course will provide for an optional tour to a similar foreign institute to study the Freight Forwarding process in a foreign land. Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar, Chairman of IIFF mentioned, we have a short supply of qualified professionals in Logistics & Freight Forwarding sector and IIFF is endeavoring to bridge this gap by their Vocational training programme through Twin Diploma course. In the Golden Jubilee year, FFFAI has committed to focus on education and training and we will be commissioning IIFF Centre of Education in many locations in India to promote our courses. Mr. Bhadkamkar added, I am very confident, shortly IIFF will be emerge as the Top class institute in this Logistics & Freight Forwarding sector providing for quality vocational training. The admissions for IIFF Twin Diploma Course are open and details are available at FFFAI. Further details can be obtained through email info@fffai.org or Telephone +91 22 67107495/96. Empowering The Freight Forwarder 27. INITIATIVE Womens wingFffai Womens Wing officially launched by Mrs. Anjali Bhagwat, Arjuna Awardee in 2000 and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2002.FFFAI Launches Women Wing A platform for Women empowermentFFFAI, a National Body is an important Forum for the establishment of Women in Freight Forwarding Industry. Womens Wing exist to promote the full participation and empowerment of women engaged in International Freight Forwarding Industry in particular. It will encourage more women, particularly young women to join the industry and make it a top choice of occupation right from education stage. Greater opportunities to those already in the business for both career opportunities and for representation in the industry leadership. There are women in this industry by family lineage, but few; we need to encourage more women. Womens Wing is constitued of women engaged in International Freight Forwarding & Custom Clearance and will chapter at 24 member locations of FFFAI with a national secretariat based in Mumbai. The main goal of the womens wing is to empower its members to be productive and contribute positively to society in general and International Freight Forwarding industry in particular. This will help the women from the second generation to take pride in this industry and also open up opportunities to fresh incumbents. Womens Wing was launched in Pune during the during the Golden Jubilee Celebrations and FFFAI Executive Committee Meeting at the hands of Ms.Anjali Bhagwat, the Gold Medalist and Champion of Champions in Shooting on 14th September, 2012. Ms. Anjali Bhagwat encouraged the women to take part in national and international events. Infact, womens wing was also fortunate to brief the former President Smt. Pratibha Patil about the launch of womens wing for the Freight Forwarding Industry and she very much appreciated the venture. FFFAI Chairman, Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar firmly supports that women empowerment needs to be integral Empowering The Freight ForwarderFormer President-India Smt. Pratibha Patilpart of the agenda to facilitate the increased participation of women in the industry to bridge the skill gap. In South East Asia and Far East, women dominated certain functional segments of the freight forwarding industry. Ms. Jyoti Bhadkamkar, the Chairperson of Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (MACCIA), Entrepreneur- womens wing- also contributes to the growth of this wing. This wing is also supported by all the Presidents and Executive Committee Members at 24 member locations. The objectives To mobilize women engaged in International Freight Forwarding & Custom Clearance, To assist women engaged in International Freight Forwarding & Custom Clearance, To raise awareness of the industry amongst women and encourage women in International Freight Forwarding & Custom Clearance, To empower women engaged in International Freight Forwarding and Custom Clearance through education, job placement, skills and training, To assist in the provision of welfare services for women engaged in International Freight Forwarding and Custom Clearance, To net-work with organisastions with similar objectives.fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 225 28. FFFAI NE W SMilind Deora takes charge as MOS in Shipping MinistryMilind Deora, Minister of State for ShippingNewly appointed junior shipping minister Milind Deora today said his top most priority, along with inviting private participation in the sector, would be to utilise the countrys massive coastline by creating economic opportunities. Sea is an untapped resource, specially from recreation point of view and my priority will be to utilise our massive coastline, in terms of employment and investment opportunities in the sector, Deora told reporters after taking charge as Minister of State for Shipping. Deora, the Minister of State for Telecom and IT, has been given the additional portfolio of the Shipping Ministry. We aim to use the coastline in a way that allows economic opportunities, he said adding that he is greatful to his leadership for bestowing him with this respon-sibility. This (Shipping) industry is a barometer of what we can expect from the global economy. In the area of shipping there is a lot of opportunities like in ship building for Indian companies, Deora said, adding his ministry would look at investment proposals from private companies in the sector. Another area that the newly appointed Minister aims to focus, is the safety of sailors or seafarers. Other issues of concern are protection of seafearers, how do we protect them and also people who have invested in the shipping sector, Deora stated. Ministry of Shipping has set a target of awarding 42 projects during the current financial year (2012-13) including two new major port projects. The total capacity addition would be 245 million tonnes involving 42 projects at an investment of about Rs 14,000 crore. We have received in-principle approval for two new major ports, we have already floated a new note, we hope by November we should be able to get Cabinet approval, he said. The government has selected two sites - Sagar island (West Bengal) and Ramyapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) -- for constructing two new major ports in the country. There are 12 major ports - Kandla, Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Marmagao, New Mangalore, Kochi, Tuticorin, Chennai, Ennore, Vishakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata-Haldia - in India.Intermodal transport Operations There is an huge opportunity to integrate the logistics systems in EXIM trade , Government initiatives to go green , control pollutions , and develop ports , Coastal shipping and Inland waterways systems will provide further scope an opportunity to the Custom House Agents ( CHAs) and freight forwarders to change their perspective of working in National and International Logistics , there is a demand for coastal shipping and Inland waterways , however the Freight forwarding fraternity has neglected this area of operation due to lack of development in infrastructure and Government support. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) ,came into existence on 27th October 1986 by an Act of Parliament, has been entrusted the task of development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation. The Authority primarily undertakes projects for development and maintenance of IWT infrastructure on national waterways through grant received from Ministry of Shipping. India has about 14,500 km of navigable wa-26fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 2terways which comprise of rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks, etc. About 55 million tones of cargo is being moved annually by Inland Water Transport (IWT), a fuel - efficient and environment -friendly mode. Its operations are currently restricted to a few stretches in the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly rivers , the Brahmaputra, the Barak river, the rivers in Goa, the backwaters in Kerala, inland waters in Mumbai and the deltaic regions of the Godavari Krishna rivers. Besides these organized operations by mechanized vessels, country boats of various capacities also operate in various rivers and canals. and substantial quantum of cargo and passengers are transported in this unorganized sector as well. NW I 1986 ,Haldia Allahabad stretch of the GangaBhagirathi-Hooghly river system between Haldia (Sagar) & Allahabad (1620 kms) was declared as National Waterway No. 1(NW-1) during October 1986. NW2 -1988 , Sadiya - Dhubri stretch of the river Brahmaputra having a length of 891 Km between Bangladesh Border to Sadiya was declared as National Waterway no. 2 (Nationsl Waterway-2) on 1st September, 1988. Empowering The Freight Forwarder 29. FFFAI delegation meets DG ShippingIndia Eases Cabotage Laws at Port of CochinGautam Chatterjee-Director General of Shipping, Directorate General of ShippingFFFAI Chairman with a members delegation meets Mr.GautamChatterjee -Director General of Shipping, Directorate General of Shipping Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar.Mr. AmitKamat,,Mr. Shankar Shinde, Mr. Sailesh Bhatia SarfarazKhan, Salian, Pankaj Shah, Philomenna Pereira, Rajendra Garach, Mr.Gautam Chatterjee-D.G. Shipping was happy to meet the Chairman along with the member delegation of FFFAI and understand the important role played by them in the EXIM trade.Mr.ShantanuBhadkamkar Chairman of FFAI appraised him of the activities of the Federation and highlighted the need for developing Coastal Shipping and IWT as an integral part of EXIM trade. He also mentioned the studies that FFFAI conducted with KPMG and Delloite and offered to share the feedback and also said that FFFAI would be happy to carry a study on coastal development through one of the consulting agencies for the development of trade. FFFAI Chairman requested for the appointment of a nodal officer for better guidance and communication in developing the coastal shipping.NW3 1993 ,Kollam - Kottapuram stretch of West Coastal Canal ( 410 Kms)alongwith Champakara canal and Udyogmandal canal (205 km ) declared as National Waterway-3in 1993 NW4 2008 , Bhadrachalam Rajamundry stretch of river Godavari and Wazirabad Vijaywada stretch of River Krishna along with Kakinada Canal , Eluru canal, Commamur canal, Buckingham canal and Kalucelley tank upto Puducherry ( 1095)) km declared a National Waterway-4 in 2008 NW5- 2008, Talcher Dhamra stretch of Brahamani Kharsua Dhamra river system along with Geonkhali Vharbatti stretch of east coast canal & portions of Matai River and Mahanadi delta river system between Mangalgadi and Paradip (623km)declared as National Waterway- 5 in 2008 Indian Logistics players need to adventure into opportunities in transportation and movements through coastal and IWT systems to make the trade competitive. The Governments future initiatives shall be into Carbon credit basis transportation modes utilisation for movement of cargo rather than by land, Developing every segment of transportation Sea, Air , Land , Rail to integrate and perform through seamless operation will lead to futuristic boom of operations in EXIM trade.Empowering The Freight ForwarderOfficials said the easing of the regulation, which came amid protest from domestic ocean carriers, would be subject to review after three years. The primary objective of relaxation in the cabotage policy for VICTT is to attract cargoes destined for Indian ports, which are presently being transshipped at Colombo (Sri Lanka) and other foreign ports. This initiative is expected to promote transshipment of Indian cargo from VICTT and reduce dependence on nearby foreign ports, the official release said. Officials said cabotage restrictions had been a major deterrent to many mainline carriers wishing to offer regular calls at the Vallarpadam terminal, a DP World facility. The Indian container trade has seen a steady growth over the years. Despite this, more than half of Indian containers are being transshipped at ports outside India, mainly at Colombo, Singapore, Salalah and Jebel Ali, officials said. VICTT, which began commercial operations in February last year, has been struggling to turn around its throughput volumes. Traffic from April through July declined to 45,000 20-footequivalent units from 56,000 TEUs a year earlier. The $600 million terminal is the first stage in DP Worlds three-phase development at Vallarpadam, offering an annual capacity of 1 million TEUs in the initial phase and 4 million TEUs when fully built out.fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 227 30. FFFAI international nEWS IFCBA MEETS WITH MR. KUNIO MIKURIYA, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE WORLD CUSTOMS ORGANIZATIONIFCBA PRESENTS VIEWS ON SMEs AND THE WCO ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS PACKAGEIFCBA Managing Directors recently met in Brussels, Belgium to discuss a number of issues of importance to IFCBA members worldwide. IFCBA Chairman George Zografos from Greece was joined by Immediate Past Chairman Jaime King of Mexico, Past Chairman Federico Zuniga of the United States and Directors Shantanu Bhadkamkar from India, Pedro Beqangue from Angola, Vito Totorizzo from Italy and Michel Valle from Canada. On the morning of 9 November, 2012, IFCBA representatives met with Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization to discuss areas of shared interest and concern. Discussions focused on the role played by customs brokers in facilitating international trade for small and medium sized enterprises (SME) and Mr. Mikuriya thanked IFCBA Managing Director, Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar and IFCBA Secretary, Ms. Carol West for their presentations during the previous days Permanent Technical Committees session on Economic Competitiveness and SME. Ms. West confirmed that the IFCBA would share with WCO officials a small business lens checklist that supports WCO efforts to ensure that SME are considered when laws, policies and procedures are drafted. During the meeting, Mr. Mikuriya reiterated his belief that the customs broker is a critical piece in compliance and that active collaboration between the WCO and the IFCBA is to the advantage of both. IFCBA initiatives related to education and training, current and potential partnerships were discussed in the context of trade facilitation, compliance, capacity building and economic competitiveness. The meeting closed with a discussion of current economic conditions in IFCBA member countries and with a statement of appreciation by IFCBA Chair, Mr. George Zografos regarding WCO support of the 2012 IFCBA World Conference in Athens , in particular the active participation of Mr. Zhu Gaozhang.Meeting with Pro Vice Chancellor of University Of Mumbai for IIFF28fffai news VOL. 1 ISSUE 2The IFCBA was requested to present its views on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the WCO Economic Competitiveness Package at the meeting of the Permanent Technical Committee on 8 November, 2012. IFCBA Managing Director Shantanu Bhadkamkar and IFCBA Secretary Carol West together raised awareness of the critical role of customs brokers for the SME sector, underlining the fact that customs brokers knowledge base and commitment to compliance are factors which directly contribute to trade facilitation and economic competitiveness. How borders work directly influences investment decisions by business and there is a high cost to inefficient customs procedures. The presentation pointed out that there are challenges defining and identifying SMEs - there is no global agreement on what this sector is and there is a transitory nature of SMEs, that is, b