QATAR AND INDIA TO INCREASE DIRECT SHIPMENT CAPACITY

Qatar and India have shown a keenness to enhance the current direct shipment frequency as part of efforts to strengthen the economic and business relations between the two countries.

Qatar and India are working on finding new direct shipping routes between the two historically friendly counties. The move has come in the wake of the economic blockade imposed on Qatar by the siege countries. This situation has caused Doha to review and strengthen its maritime diplomacy. Ten days before the blockade, the Ministry of Transport and Communications launched a new direct maritime line between Qatar and India, India Qatar Express Service, linking Hamad Port with Mundra (Gujarat) and Nhava Sheva Port (Maharashtra).

The Qatar India Business and Investment Conference

The India Business and Professionals Council (IBPC) organizes the first Qatar India Business and Investment Conference (QIBIC). Speaking on occasion, K M Varghese, the president of IBPC, said, “To increase the frequency of the current direct shipment capacity, an exclusive session will be held on ‘Doing Business in Qatar’ from a logistics point of view, addressing relevant issues related to this subject”.

K M Varghese said the conference’s main objective is to kick-start a series of such events to bring experts, decision-makers, and key stakeholders in wide-ranging areas, both Qatar and India, to find the synergies to engage in the two countries. Being the first conference, this conference’s focus will be on expertise and technologies rather than outright investment and projecting expected trade volumes between the two nations, stated Varghese.

Varghese also disclosed that QIBIC is slated to be an annual event. He concluded by saying, “We believe a conducive ambiance and atmosphere should be built first, between the experts, decision-makers, and stakeholders, to find areas of common interests before getting into the next phase of investing. We do hope that later episodes will scale into a higher level of exploring business deals.”

Connectivity between Doha and Nhava Sheva Port, Mumbai

Milaha Maritime and Logistics, a subsidiary of Milaha Group, was the first to launch the direct container service between Qatar and India in 2015. The non-stop service connects Qatar’s Doha port with Nhava Sheva, also known as Jawaharlal Nehru Port, located in Mumbai.

Trade between Qatar and India has shown a phenomenal growth trend in recent years. The renewed trade links will further expand the thriving trade activities between the two nations. The trade links between the two nations go back in history, and India will always be Qatar’s natural business and trade partner

Source: www.gulf-times.com

AMITH HEADS THE OPERATIONS AT CSS QATAR

Having started my logistics career with CSS in Dubai, today I am placed in Qatar. CSS has provided a platform for me to learn and dabble in all aspects of the logistics spectrum over the last decade. 

CSS Qatar – Surmounting the Odds of the Blockade

CSS Qatar started in 2016 with a limited number of employees. A crisis was just around the corner with the diplomatic crisis in the year 2017. Initially, the aftermath of this crisis was felt by the entire market. Although the market slowed down in the early days of the diplomatic crisis, Qatar soon rolled out ventures with various production units. It further strengthened the market and reached a status of independence. The major strength behind these operations was starting of Hamad Seaport.

Having started CSS Qatar with minimal staff strength, we realized the market changes and moved step by step. In the years that followed, we built a stronger team, increased the sales team strength, and built up our entire team. Every employee of CSS QATAR helped in taking CSS Qatar to what it is today.

FIFA 2022 – A Driving Force

CSS Qatar has been growing along with the growth and development of the nation of Qatar. The government of Qatar has taken several steps for the country’s development by investing in its economy. The prime focus is the 2022 FIFA World Cup and advancements in medicine, electricity, oil and gas, tourism, construction, maintenance, food, and other industry verticals. The government has also announced Vision Qatar 2030. There might arise the opportunity to host Asian Games in 2030. CSS Qatar envisions the strategic role that the company can play during these massive events. 

CSS has made a name for itself in the Qatar market during this period. In the years to come, the team will continue to strengthen itself, devise new strategies, find more business opportunities by understanding each sector’s business potential and setting up separate teams for each of them and will strive to achieve our goals.

Conquering the Credit Challenge 

Timely payments from creditors have been a deterrent for our growth in the past year. Some of our competitors and other new players have been offering credit facilities to their customers with open credit options, without too many formalities. But this can pose a threat to their business growth if they do not realize their payments on time. 

 At CSS, we have decided to effectively tackle this situation by filtering the clients and conducting detailed research into clients’ financial health and track record. If the client clears our benchmarks, we will request them to submit a guarantee cheque as security or PDC against the cargo release. 

2021 – The Year Ahead

The year ahead can be rife with challenges. With the diplomatic blockades having been withdrawn, invariably, there will be a boom in trade, increasing demand for logistics support. This also means a mushrooming of competitor companies in this small market. We are confident that CSS Qatar will score much better results than the year that went by, especially with the opening up of trade linked to the GCC region.

Working Together for Victory

CSS Qatar is glad to be part of the larger CSS family. As we align ourselves to the CSS Group’s vision, we are confident that we will reciprocate the management’s trust. We work together as a team to become one of the major shipping and Forwarding companies in Qatar and spread our footprint across other trade lines. 

CSS TO IMPLEMENT VIDEO SURVEILLANCE AS A SOLUTION BY ETISALAT

CSS’s top management team met with Etisalat for the initial discussions to implement the Etisalat Video Surveillance as a Solution (VSAAS) along with a Smart Messaging Platform. Etisalat Video Surveillance as a Solution provides business enterprises with value-added services that address their security and regulatory compliance requirements.

Enabled by the state-of-the-art onsite video surveillance technology that will be deployed at CSS, Etisalat can proactively use, manage, troubleshoot, and support this solution. Hamad Mohammed Al Marzooqi, VP of Etisalat Managed SMB, Khalid M Yateem, Director of Etisalat Managed SMB and Jithesh Vijakumar, Sales Manager, Etisalat attended the meeting, along with the CSS team, which included Chandrakala, Krishna Kaladharan, Susanth Shekar, Pothen Thomas, and Arun Snehajan. A visit to the Innovation Center has also been scheduled for the near future.

The first-of-its-kind video surveillance solution in the UAE, this one-stop solution, is for all our video surveillance needs. From end-to-end managed services, security surveillance with analytics, web and mobile access, business intelligence and upgradable cloud storage, other features include end to end managed services, heat maps, people counting, a security system, and a queuing management solution.

Enabling this solution at the CSS office premises will help us manage our business more efficiently while increasing our business productivity. This partnership resounds with Etisalat’s tagline, which says, ‘Your business grows with us.’ Enabling this solution will increase the safety and security of our premises, resources, and assets and allow us to optimize our operations.

STRENGTHENING RELATIONS

CSS QATAR ORGANIZES NETWORKING DINNER FOR THE SHIPPING FRATERNITY

CSS Qatar team rolled out the red carpet to welcome guests from the shipping fraternity, for an event exclusively organised by Console Shipping Services in Doha. The event which was named CSS EVE 2019 was organised, providing opportunity to meet, greet and interact with all the partners who stood in supporting CSS Qatar from the very first day of its inception in Doha.

The networking dinner was well attended by the members of the Shipping fraternity. Mr. Rashid Saeed A A Al Hajri, Partner CSS Qatar, Ajay Krishnan COO, Freight forwarding CSS Group, Krishna Kaladharan Management trainee and Amith, Asst. Manager Operations represented the CSS Group for the evening. The event was organised at the Sharq Village & Spa, the Ritz Carlton Resort in Doha. Modeled after a Qatari village, the Doha hotel shares the richness of the Middle East at every turn.

“It was a great opportunity to host such an event in Doha for us in CSS. Every moment of the evening turned out to be highly interactive as we discussed a lot about the industry happenings and the market trends” mentioned Amith.

The event kick started with a brief welcome note from the CSS COO, Ajay Krishnan as he extended his gratitude to all the participants who readily agreed to attend the evening at the invitation of CSS. He mentioned about the need of such get togethers for keeping relations intact and where everybody benefits through healthy sharing and interactions. “The relationships on display at the event during the evening are testament to the level of engagement our team at Doha have maintained with our key partners. For a start up in Doha to achieve what we have in 2 years, we thank our customers and carriers,” mentioned Ajay.

Console Shipping Services W.L.L. commenced its operations from Doha, the capital city of Qatar in the year 2016 to cater to the growing requirements for professional management of Shipping & Logistics. CSS, with own infrastructure and a pool of trained manpower caters to all shipping and logistics requirements that the industry demands, today.

Chairman’s Message

Andrew Carnegie, the American, industrialist and philanthropist, once said, “Successful teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organisational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”
I believe that people who are really motivated to aim for great accomplishments, for their company, will never disagree with the beliefs expressed in this quotation.
If you recall last year, in the May edition of Lighthouse, the message from my desk was about the one decade of completion of our services in India. It is true to say that CSS has been blessed with staff that has held true to Andrew Carnegie’s successful teamwork expectations. This was obvious when CSS India recently conducted their Annual Budget Meeting in Kolkata. Being a proud participant for the meeting and being fortunate to be able to share thoughts with CSS India heads, I can surely say that our company is moving in the right direction in terms of common strategies and goals.
The evidence of growth for any company is reflected in the spirits and attitude of their staff, and not just the figures that an excel chart conveys. We have to remember that challenges and opportunities may change without much notice. An ability to respond effectively is directly related to the attitude of your team. By keeping the sentiments of Andrew Carnegie’s quotation uppermost in our thoughts I am confident we will continue to move forward and achieve rewardingly uncommon results.

Top Customer Award

The CSS Group received the Top Customer Award from CMA CGM as a token of their support in 2017, on the 3rd of April, 2018.

With ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 18001 certified standards, the CSS Group is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates with brand offices across the GCC, South Asia and more.

The CMA CGM “Top Customer Award” was handed over by Santosh Devasper (Commercial Manager) and Anshika Bhatia (Senior Sales & Marketing Analyst), to the CSS Group’s Angeli Sudheer (Manager, Pricing & Customer Service Desk), Chandra Kala (COO, NVOCC) and Ajay Krishnan (COO, Freight Forwarding) as a token of the Group’s continuous support in 2017.

COO Chandra Kala said: “The CSS Group – as a whole – takes pride in being awarded the Top Customer Award by CMA CGM – it reinforces our commitment to our customers in providing the best to match their requirements.”

The Beginning Of A New Era

CSS Group officially announces its Qatar operations

In a landmark move CSS Group opens its office in Doha and announces its Qatar services. Console Shipping Services W.L.L, as the brand being known in Qatar, offers end to end shipping and logistics solutions with its own infrastructure and a pool of trained manpower.  Being a part of the renowned CSS Group, gives CSS Qatar an edge to all its operations and leverage amongst the leaders, with a wide network of partners globally. CSS Qatar ensures that world class services will be offered on all segments of its operations.

Qatar has proved to be one of the strongest Middle East economies and business power centers in the recent past. The country is rich in gas and oil reserves, ranking it third on the list of the world’s biggest gas reserves. Qatar has quickly become a huge economic hub as a result of the Emir’s directives of fully utilizing the gas and oil resources of the country for the welfare of its citizens, by means of integrated processes of oil and gas exploration and industrialization.

Transport upgrades are leading construction industry growth in Qatar, following rapid expansion and billions of dollars’ worth of new contracts awarded in recent years. The 2022 FIFA World Cup has created an impetus to finish a number of critical transport projects on time, including thousands of kilometers of road and expressway upgrades and construction, the new Hamad Port and a major three-part rail programme. Expansion of the recently opened Hamad International Airport (HIA) also advanced in 2015 when authorities released detailed designs for the next phase of construction, which will nearly double existing capacity – a welcome upgrade, given that the airport is already operating above capacity. Under the broader Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030) development plan, these projects will pave the way for future growth across all sectors of the economy, reducing bottlenecks and traffic congestion, improving trade and investment opportunities, and supporting ongoing efforts to diversify the economy.

Qatar Airways Cargo Announces Major Expansion

Qatar Airways Cargo plans to expand into three key new markets and is launching a new portfolio of air freight solutions, the first of which will be QR Live, for the transportation of animals.

The announcement was made by Qatar Airways chief officer cargo, Ulrich Ogiermann at a press conference on the opening day of Air Cargo China 2016 in Shanghai.

Ogiermann said the world’s third largest cargo carrier by international flights will enter the Transpacific, Australian and South American air freight markets in the next nine months.

This major enhancement of the carrier’s network is made possible by the constant growth of its fleet, which now includes nine Boeing 777F, eight Airbus 3330F and two Boeing 747F aircraft, as well as the opening of its new European hub in Luxembourg.

The cargo carrier projects that its pure cargo fleet will grow to 22 aircraft by 2017 and from 1 July, the carrier will double its flights into and out of Luxembourg providing better connectivity for its customers.

Ogiermann also announced that Qatar Airways Cargo will add Halifax (Canada) and New York (JFK) to its freighter network in July 2016.

Qatar Hits Out at India Over Traffic Rights

Qatar Airways CEO has hit out an Indian government proposal to sell the country’s air traffic rights.

In October last year, the civil aviation ministry released its draft civil aviation policy which contained a proposal to have an open skies policy with countries in South Asian neighbours and countries beyond 5,000 kms.

The policy also proposed to auction additional traffic rights beyond the existing rights to airlines from countries within 5,000 kms. The bidding would be introduced if domestic airlines have not fully utilised their quota, with those rights granted on a three-year basis, with fund raised going towards the regional connectivity fund.

Speaking at Singapore Airshow, HE Akbar Al Baker said he was disappointed at India’s decision to auction the air traffic rights, known as bilaterals, which he said was against foreign carriers operating freely in the country’s air space, according to a report in Economic Times.

Al Baker insisted that the air traffic rights should remain in the control of a country, and not be sold to an entity that India may not have a strategic interest in.

He said foreign airlines that operate freely in Indian airspace help boost trade and tourism, as well as generate jobs for locals. Qatar Airways currently operates from 13 Indian cities.

International Air Transport Association has also expressed concerns that the move may lead to higher fares.