Browsing by Author "Ramalingeswara Rao, B. V."

Now showing 1 - 11 of 11

A Generic algorithm based data envelopment analysis to measure efficiency levels at liquid terminals of major ports of India during 2013-14 to 2017-18.
(2019) Pavan Kumar, Pannala; Bhanu Prakash, Nookala; Ramalingeswara Rao, B. V.; Anirudh, Bhavana
India, a vibrant economy with potential scope for development had attracted investments into multiple sectors of economy both by Indian and foreign investors. However, reliance on imports of energy requirements had put pressure on its foreign exchange. India’s own petro resources are not sufficient to meet the growing demands of its economy. Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricants (POL) along with natural gas products have been the major importing cargo for India and therefore account for as a major importing bill for the nation. Shipping had been the cheapest and safest way to transport of this cargo and ports have been contributing towards the smooth movement of POL products in India. It is imperative for the Indian ports to efficiently handle this key cargo and reduce the overall logistics cost involved in the entire supply chain. With over 32% share, POL accounts to be the single largest cargo handled at Major ports of India. Considering the significance of this major cargo component, it is important to check the level of efficiency with which the ports handle. Such studies on POL terminal operations would help the major ports to learn from the efficient ports among them. Lack of existing literature measuring performances of liquid terminals at major port has motivated this study to fill the gap and check the efficiency with which these liquid terminals are actually operating. Research works addressing port performance, covering ports and container terminals, have used Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), a popular non-parametric technique to measure efficiency levels. Taking a cue from these studies measuring port efficiency, this study has applied Genetic Algorithm based DEA to measure efficiency at liquid terminals of the major ports of India. Results at the 12 major ports handling liquid cargo show that none of the port had attained the efficiency level of 1 and that all ports have a lot of scope to improve their performance.
An analysis of steam coal import logistics in India and factors effecting the costs in the supply chain with reference to Indian power sector
(Global Conference on Operations and Supply Chain Management (GCOM 2012), 2012-03) Bangar Raju, T.; Mohan Rao, K. V.; Ramalingeswara Rao, B. V.
India has an ambitious plan of going for additional power generation capacity of 65000MW out of which 44000MW would through coal based. In the year 2009-2010 the domestic thermal coal production has been 400 million tonnes and 44 million tonnes of thermal coal has been imported. So at present 11% of our thermal coal consumption is being met through imports. Keeping in view the limitations in increasing domestic production like environmental, forestry and productivity issues, India is would be more dependent on imported coal for future needs. The projection of integrated energy policy report indicates that the range of coal requirement under various scenarios would be between 860-1296 million tonnes in the year 2031-32 of which imports are projected in the range of 53% to 57%. This underscores the need for adequate and efficient port handling facilities and ocean transport facilities for connecting the supply chain for the thermal power plants. The eleventh five year plan envisages an additional coal handling capacity to 115 million tonnes by the end of the plan period. In additional it is critical to identity the bottlenecks and cut down costs in ocean trade logistics and supply chain for more low cost fuel for the power requirements. The paper attempts to analyse various kinds of vessels transporting coal from Indonesia and south Africa to India. The major problems related to import logistics have been discussed and analysed. It can be concluded that size of ships and port infrastructure are key factors which could reduce the costs in the supply chain.
Analysing volatility spillovers between grain and freight markets
(Scientific Journal of Maritime Research, 2020-11) Bangar Raju, Totakura.; Bavise, Ayush; Chauhan, Pradeep.; Ramalingeswara Rao, B. V.
The International Grain Council (IGC) circulates two price indices which are the Grain and Oilseeds Index (GOI) and the Grain and Oilseeds Freight Market Index (GOFI). These two indices indicate the respective market prices. The GOI markets are affected by various factors like supply and demand, weather, freight markets, etc. This research article attempts to explore and analyse volatility in GOI and GOFI markets using various GARCH family models, that is Exponential Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (EGARCH) analysis. The multivariate Dynamic Conditional Correlation Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity model (DCC GARCH) is used to find the spillovers between the two markets and thereby explore the effect of GOFI on GOI markets from the year 2013. The research article consists of four sections after introducing the subject namely a literature review, research methodology and models, analysis and conclusions of the study.
Cost assessment and tariff determination : cargo handling experiences at a private port
(5 Case Centre, 2015) Bhanu Prakash, Nookala; Dhingra, Tarun; Bangar Raju, T.; Ramalingeswara Rao, B. V.
(This case is written based on personal observations, interactions, and information collected from authorities of a private port in Gujarat and is purely for academic discussions to suit post graduate students. Taking this objective as cue and as per suggestions of authorities, financial figures are tweaked and name of the port is not disclosed.) Assessment of costs involved in handling a ship holds key for calculating tariff to be levied for services provided to client. A port provides numerous services to a ship that visits for loading and/or unloading of cargo and in the process incurs numerous costs. Precision in identifying costs incurred while providing services and charging clients accordingly help in maintaining confidence of clients and profits for port. The present case deals with cargo handling process of a private port and costs determination for such services. A port attempts to provide reliable and speedy services at competitive prices for its clients so as to maintain client satisfaction and business. Ports in competitive market environment are investing huge amount of funds on infrastructural setup only to reduce stay time of both ship and cargo at the port. Modern ports, often, maintain alternative mechanism to handle the cargo that they handle. This Case Study is based on the observations, interactions and subsequent data collection from a private port in Gujarat on west coast of India and covers assessment of costs involved in handling a ship arriving with coal that the port is to handle for one of its clients. A port also provides certain additional services as desired by client for further charges. A decision on identifying a cost-effective alternative with ease of handling from among two modes of cargo handling process is to be made by the students. The case is well suited for students with ability to understand process costing concepts.
Estimation of ship velocity using SAR imagery - simulation methods
(Twenty Seventh National Convention of Marine Engineers, 2013-08) Ramalingeswara Rao, B. V.
The estimation of ship heading and speed from a high resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image of ship and its wake is important for monitoring and tracking ships. In order to get a correct and focused image of the moving ships, it is necessary to know the real positions and velocities of the ships. Though the ship can often be imaged clearly, its orientation may be difficult to estimate from its image because of the effects of ship motion. The wake can provide direct information about the ship heading. The cross range separation between the location of the ship in the image and the wake can also provide an estimate of the ship’s velocity. We propose a strategy based on the generalized Radon Transform and the Stochastic Matched Filtering where the locus of the wake signature in the 2D spectrum of the image is to be detected. In this work we propose three simulation methods for estimation of ship velocities, and directions using SAR imagery. The knowledge of these parameters is used to compensate the SAR image, i.e. to eliminate the imaging errors due to object motion. The proposed methods are based on evaluation of a sequence of single–look SAR images, generated from conventional SAR raw data.
Infrastructure in India : Contribution of ports to the economy and the road ahead
(Social Science Research Network, 2011-12) Bhanu Prakash, Nookala; Ramalingeswara Rao, B. V.
The economic development of a nation depends on several factors, and a developed infrastructure sector is one of the key determinants. 21st century has mandated adequate investments by the government and private sectors in the infrastructure sector for sustainable economic development. Economic liberalization has allowed a free flow of investments across the world, and Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) are looking for safe avenues for easy investment and expansion. One of their primary issues of concern is obviously the status of infrastructure in the target country. India, being a favorable destination for investments from MNCs, attracts huge exports and imports. Port infrastructure is one of the key indicators of sound infrastructural setup of a country. Ports are the gateway for foreign trade and developed port facilities provide a platform for smooth exports and imports. Around 13 major and over 190 non-major ports in India contribute to around 95% in volume and 75% in value to Indian foreign trade. The substandard performance of Indian ports, in comparison to their counterparts, affects business. The present study aims to track the progress and advancements made by the Indian ports and their future scope for development. It also highlights the inherent constraints in the development of Indian ports and suggests certain pertinent measures to enhance the functioning of this key sector.
Liquefied natural gas as alternative bunker for IMO 2020
(Indian Maritime University, Visakhapatnam, 2019) Bangar Raju, T.; Pande, Purbesh.; Ramalingeswara Rao, B. V.
With IMO 2020 deadline approaching nearer the vessel owners are looking for cleaner fuel or better options to meet the new emissions norms. The first option is going for cleaner low sulphur oil which more pressure on refineries and costs could be an issue. The scrubbers could be a short-term solution but costs of the same may be too high for the vessel owner. LNG fuel could be good option with zero emissions of sulphur and easy availability. The paper discusses the merits and demerits of LNG as alternative bunker. It also analysis the relationship between prices of LNG with Brent crude and MGO. The results show that LNG prices are not correlated with the prices of Brent crude and MGO prices.
Major ports of India : performance appraisal of selected financial parameters using correlation analysis
(Indian Economic Journal : Journal of the Indian Economic Association, 2013-02) Bhanu Prakash, Nookala; Ramalingeswara Rao, B. V.; Anupama, T.
Major ports of India play vital role in the economy and their contribution to the development of nation is reflected in the ever-growing quantities of cargo handled by them. India has 13 major ports and the overall cargo handled by all these ports stood to the tune of 930 MT in 2011-12. However, one of the major concerns for the government has been the performance standards of these ports which, unfortunately, are not in line of the expected efficiency levels. Major ports in India are running under multiple constraints like congestion, outdated technology, improper hinterland connectivity, and higher dependence on manual cargo handling procedures. At the same time, they are dependent on the government for their financing and investment decisions. It may be observed that the government is slowly releasing the major ports from clutches of its control. Privatisation of port services through PPP mode and granting of administrative autonomy to the management of the port trusts are two major steps taken by the government to improve the work efficiencies of the major ports. Result-oriented initiatives such as National Maritime Development Program 2007-2012 and Maritime Agenda: 2010-20, initiated by the ministry, to improve the infrastructural set-up at major ports are being implemented to increase the efficiencies among the major ports. The objective of the present study is to analyse the performance of major ports using some financial metrics during the period 1995-96 to 2010-11. It is quite interesting to note that all the major ports work with different efficiency levels and the study aspires to find about the performance levels of these ports on the basis of their financial performances. The study aims to find if there is any significant impact on the revenue generated by the ports and the ever-growing costs in handling the cargo.
Study of principal operational performance indicators of various indian ports for imported steam coal
(International Forum on Shipping, Ports and Airports (IFSPA), 2014-05) Bangar Raju, T.; Ramalingeswara Rao, B. V.
India being the largest importer of steam and it account for 54% of thermal energy in the country. The limitations of domestic production and supply have seen tremendous increase in imports of steam coal from Indonesia, south Africa and Australia . Understanding various bottlenecks and high costs which are incurring due to port congestion, poor infrastructure and poor port performance, there was a need to study port performance indicators for steam coal. From the literature survey, through number of studies were made to measure port performance indicators in general, but no specific research was made scientifically for specific bulk cargoes like steam coal. Therefore eight port performance indicators were taken based on UNCTAD guidelines and eleven east coast ports of India which handle steam coal were considered for study. This data for of these port performance indicators was collected and principal component analysis was done to reduce the eight variable from the research study it was found that port draft and berthing time efficiency played major role to reduce berthing time efficiency and ocean freight costs."
Sustainability issues, challenges in maritime transport and logistics industry in emerging markets: a case of India maritime industry
(Indian Maritime University, Visakhapatnam, 2019) Ramalingeswara Rao, B. V.; Nageswara Rao, D.; Bhavana, Anirudh
As for UNCTAD/RMT 2019 report emphasized that Global maritime trade expanded at a slower pace in 2018, while volumes reached 11 billion tons and volumes expanded at 2.7 per cent in 2018, down from 4.1 per cent in 2017. The slowdown was broad based and affected nearly all maritime transport cargo segments. It undermined global port cargo-handling activities are facing a serious issues and sustainability challenges in the field of shipping, port and maritime logistics, commonly known as the maritime transport and logistics industry. The aim of this paper is to analyse the sustainable issues and challenges in maritime industry to demand side and the new normal also entails some new trends on the supply side in emerging markets. Sustainability issues in maritime transport and logistics have been dealt with in the transportation and economic studies in Ports and shipping interests appear to be focusing more attention on expanding activities to inland logistics and tapping potential underlying sources of revenue Such developments call for improved planning, adequate response measures, and flexible and forward-looking transport policies that anticipate change, particularly relating to shipping, port, and maritime logistics, and identify and discuss the key topics emerging in sustainability in the industry. It will contribute to increasing industry stakeholders’ understanding of the current situation in sustainability, assist them in the design of appropriate managerial insights and help them develop appropriate sustainability policies for the industry.
Technological change and modernisation in design and construction of country crafts operating in coastal and river waters
(International Journal of Innovation Research & Development, 2015-07) Ramalingeswara Rao, B. V.; Sudheer, Y.; Ananth Kumar, N.
Traditional boat building is strongly backed by the basic knowledge of craftsmanship of local carpenters and the knowledge has been passed from father to son. Most of the traditional boats are built in temporary yards and sheds erected by the carpenters wherever they found suitable place for construction of a boat mostly close to banks of the river. There are no proper designs, no periodic surveys, rules and regulations were also inadequate for the traditional boats which are operating in coastal and river waters. Hence there are accidents due to one or more reasons as stated above. There is a need to focus on the design aspects combined with a detailed study to improve the design and construction of the traditional boats where the accidents can be minimized. In this paper an attempt has been made to study the traditional boat building activities in India by examining the technical aspects of mechanized and non-mechanized country boats. Since country crafts have complex curved nature, obtaining the hull geometry is a difficult task, in order to overcome the difficulty Faro Focus 3D Laser Scanner is used to scan the existing hull forms, which is used to generate the data offsets, lines plan etc...In this paper two case studies has been presented the first one discusses about the mechanized and non-mechanized country crafts which are distributed into set wise, highlighting the best design among them. The second one highlights the conversion of material change from wood to steel focusing on stability aspects. Based on the case studies, existing hull form(s)of better characteristics has been selected and slightly modified to make the country crafts much more efficient.