Airlines
Longer-range 747-400 freighters soon
CLOSE on the heels of the announcement of a sonic cruiser, a faster, longer-range passenger airliner that would fly just below the sound barrier catering mainly to business passengers, the Seattle-based Boeing Company proposes to launch l onger-range 747-400 freighters. International Lease Finance Corp, a Los Angeles-based leasing company, will be the launch customer for new all-cargo version of the jumbo jet, with deliveries scheduled to begin in October 2002, according to r eports. To start with, the leasing company will acquire five planes for $1 billion, with the option to acquire five more. However, it is not clear as to whom the aircraft will be leased out to.

Shipping
How long will the honeymoon last?
FISCAL 2000-01 was a Champagne Year for the country's shipping companies. The government-owned Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), the largest of them, has reported an after-tax profit of Rs 401.59 crore, up 148 per cent, from Rs 161.51 crore the previous year. The Great Eastern Shipping Company, the leading private sector player, is not far behind. Notching up a 66 per cent growth in net profit at Rs 177 crore, the oldest tramp operator in the country could almost double its EPS to Rs 8. Essar Shipping, another major operator, has yet to announce its results. Going by the indications and the third quarter results, Essar too is expected to report record earnings.

Tenth Plan Sub-Group recommendations -- Will it set the Indian fleet sailing?
SIMPLIFICATION of procedures for ship acquisitions; continuation of the policy on cargo support and its extension to private cargoes including LNG; de-reservation of liner routes; removal of age restriction norms for ship acquisitions; introduction of to nnage tax; opening up transportation of crude oil sector to all shipping companies, and according export industry status for shipping have been recommended by the high-level Sub-Group set up by the Working Group on Shipping for the Tenth Five Year Plan b eginning April 1, 2002.

High drama on Hooghly
THE recent kidnapping of the master of a foreign ship and the river pilot of Calcutta Port Trust (CPT) on the Hooghly was not an unexpected development. Though the CPT top brass described the incident as ``unprecedented'', they had been receiving repo rts for several days before the incident, that armed men, allegedly with the backing of some political parties, had been obstructing vessels in the river.

New moorings for quake-hit Navlakhi port
THE Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) has approved an investment of Rs 30 crore to revamp Navlakhi Port in Saurashtra which was partially damaged in the earthquake.

Transport
A truckload of problems
THERE are more than 30 lakh trucks in the country, of which around eight lakhs are light commercial vehicles (LCV). There are more than 70,000 transport companies engaged in the business of collecting, transporting, storing and delivery of parcels.

Why run these unremunerative branch lines?
ANY commercial organisation worth it salt when faced with mounting losses and a financial crunch would ruthlessly jettison all such activities which are un-remunerative. Unfortunately, the Indian Railways, the 1.7-million-strong behemoth which has for ye ars been shouting itself hoarse for closure of no less than 114 un-economic branch lines incurring a loss of Rs 328 crore in 1998-99, has not been able to make much headway on this front. There were still 110 such lines, 44 on broad gauge, 44 on metre an d 22 on narrow gauge, which among them made a loss Rs 348 crore last year; this figure is only likely to rise with each passing year what with increasing wages and operating costs.

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