Latest news with #LPI
Business Insider
25-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Liberty Energy reports Q2 adjusted EPS 12c, consensus 14c
Reports Q2 revenue $1.0B, consensus $1B. 'Liberty delivered an exceptional Q2 amidst increased macroeconomic uncertainty and energy sector volatility. Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA increased 7% and 8% sequentially, respectively, against an industry backdrop of softening completions activity. This strong performance is a direct reflection of the outstanding contributions of our team, safely driving record efficiencies and increased utilization that more than offset industry pricing headwinds,' commented CEO Ron Gusek. '…As we look ahead, the strategic investment we have made in completions through cycles enhances our ability to support customers in an evolving landscape. We are leveraging our integrated suite of completion services, cutting-edge technologies, industry leading partnerships and the dedication of our exceptional team to navigate market uncertainties. Within our power business, LPI delivers a robustly engineered, end-to-end energy solution uniquely integrating on-site generation and load management, ISO market participation, and advantaged retail supply, creating a comprehensive, flexible approach that redefines reliability and cost efficiency in deregulated regions. We're excited by LPI's future growth and its ability to contribute to our track record of delivering superior long-term returns, while balancing disciplined investment with a strong balance sheet through cycles.' Elevate Your Investing Strategy:
Hindustan Times
23-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Setting sail for Viksit Bharat with maritime growth push
India's ports are transcending traditional roles as logistical nodes to become modern gateways of commerce. A focus on capacity expansion, mechanisation, digitisation, and ease of doing business has propelled ports such as Visakhapatnam, Mundra, JNPA, and Kamarajar up in the global rankings. The World Bank's Logistics Performance Index (LPI) 2023 acknowledged India's efficiency and speed, placing it ahead of many developed nations. The country has risen in key logistics indicators, ranked 38th of 139 countries in 2023, up from 54th in 2014. India's rank in the international shipment category improved dramatically from 44th to 22nd in the period, while average container dwell time reduced to approximately 2.6 days, a competitive figure globally. The turnaround time (TRT) of major ports has also sharply declined from around 94 hours to about 48.06 hours. Substantial infrastructure development underpins this progress. Cargo handling capacity at major ports, over the past decade, reached 1,681 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) from 800.5 MTPA. Ninety-eight port modernisation projects, costing over ₹32,000 crore, have been completed, adding more than 230 MTPA to the annual port capacity. Major ports' financial performance has been equally impressive, with total income rising from ₹11,760 crore in FY15 to ₹24,203 crore in FY25 — a 7.5% CAGR over 10 years. Operating surplus nearly tripled to ₹12,314 crore, driven by a 13% CAGR over the same period. Operational efficiency also improved significantly, with the operating ratio declining from 64.7% in FY15 to 42.3% in FY25, reinforcing the ports' financial sustainability. Significant projects like the Tuticorin International Container Terminal (TICT) and the foundation stone laying for the ₹76,000 crore Vadhavan Port mark crucial milestones in enhancing infrastructure and logistics efficiency. The Vizhinjam International Seaport will boost India's trans-shipment capabilities. Ten Indian ports have now made it to the Global Top 100 in the World Bank's CPPI 2023 Report, with the Visakhapatnam Port climbing to 19th position from 122nd in 2022. India is also reclaiming its rivers, once vibrant arteries of commerce, for modern logistics. Under the NDA government, 106 rivers have been upgraded as National Waterways, including the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. This drives a seven-fold increase in inland waterways-based freight movement, from 18.1 million metric tons (MMT) in FY14 to 146 MMT in FY25. The sector is now equipped with multimodal terminals, night navigation, and digital monitoring systems. Global attention has been drawn to this revival, with collaborations enhancing technology and promoting sustainable freight movement. The budgetary allocation for Inland Waterways Authority of India of ₹1,700 crore for FY26 is more than the total expenditure on inland waterways for the 28 years from 1986 to 2014. The Cargo Promotion Scheme, providing a 35% incentive for inland waterway utilisation, further bolsters this growth. The first Inland Waterways Development Council (IWDC) meeting committed an investment of ₹45,000 crore for river-cruise tourism development by 2047. Cruise tourism is also experiencing a significant upswing, with major international companies now docking at Indian ports like Mumbai, Kochi, Goa, and Visakhapatnam. The launch of the Cruise Bharat Mission in September 2024 aims to double cruise passenger traffic by 2029, with plans for six new international cruise terminals. Sea cruise passengers increased from 84,000 in 2014 to 4.92 lakhs in 2024-25, registering a whopping 500% increase. India's commitment to sustainability in the maritime sector is evident through pioneering green initiatives. The Harit Sagar Green Port guidelines aim to reduce carbon intensity, and the Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP) targets a 30% reduction in GHG emissions from port vessels of major ports by 2030, in line with the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. Three major ports are being developed as green hydrogen or ammonia hubs under the National Hydrogen Mission. The Harit Nauka guidelines promote 100% green vessels by 2047, and India also launched its first indigenous hydrogen fuel cell vessel. India has been re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for the biennium 2024-25 with the highest tally. New routes of collaboration are being forged, notably with the signing of the Inter-Governmental Framework Agreement with the UAE for the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). The long-term contract for the development of Shahid Beheshti Port Terminal, Chabahar, signed with Iran, is a pivotal step in opening up the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) to Central Asia. Beyond infrastructure, human capital and heritage are also key focus areas. An astounding 200% growth was achieved over the last decade in increasing India's presence in the global seafaring community, raising the number of active Indian seafarers from 1.08 lakh in 2014 to 3.20 lakh this year. The number of women seafarers has risen from 341 in 2014 to 2,557 in 2025. The ministry of ports, shipping and waterways also launched Sagar Mein Samman to increase the participation of women in the maritime sector. The development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal, Gujarat, as a world-class maritime museum and cultural centre, along with the first-ever India Maritime Heritage Conclave, underscores a commitment to preserving and showcasing India's rich maritime history. Budget FY26 announced an array of fiscal incentives for shipbuilding and ship recycling, including the Maritime Development Fund, Ship Building Financial Assistance Policy 2.0, inclusion of large ships above a specified size in the Infrastructure Harmonised Master List, measures to facilitate shipbuilding clusters, extension of tonnage tax regime to inland vessels, extension of basic customs duty exemption on raw materials and components for ship building and ship repair for another 10 years. This bouquet of initiatives has started attracting major global shipbuilding companies to joint ventures with Indian shipping companies. This is bound to create massive employment opportunities and investment multiplier effects. In essence, the past decade has marked a decisive shift in India's maritime narrative. India is rapidly transforming into a preferred maritime destination for trade, innovation, and investment as it charts the course for Viksit and Atmanirbhar Bharat. Sarbananda Sonowal is Union minister for ports, shipping, and waterways. The views expressed are personal.
Business Recorder
02-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Unlocking Pakistan's Logistics Potential on National Logistics Day
TEXT: As we mark National Logistics Day, it is time to reflect on the backbone of Pakistan's economy — the logistics and transportation sector — and to chart a path forward. Currently, this sector contributes over 12% of GDP and employs 6% of the country's workforce, handling 98% of Pakistan's transportation needs. Yet, despite its significance, Pakistan's road logistics sector is mired in inefficiency, underinvestment, and outdated governance frameworks. The latest Pakistan Business Council (PBC) report 'Pakistan Road Logistics, Challenges, Opportunities and Policy Response'-2025 paints a sobering picture: Pakistan's Logistics Performance Index (LPI) has dropped from 2.42 in 2018 to 2.3 in 2025, ranking far behind regional countries India (rank 44), Iran (100), and Bangladesh (64). The above report echoes the same policy recommendations as detailed in this article in its 'Prioritized Recommendations'. The lack of an integrated national transport policy and a dedicated Ministry of Transport and Logistics has hampered coordinated action. Responsibilities are fragmented across federal, provincial, and quasi-government entities, leading to poor planning and execution. This structural weakness allows informal operators, backed by politically influential sectors to evade regulations — further distorting the market and discouraging formal players. In the PBC Report: 'Dedicated Ministry or Focal Authority for the Logistics Sector: It is important to realize that logistics is an interconnected sector, and one mode is not independent of the other. Therefore, a focused approach is required to help the sector grow. One glaring issue is the non-implementation of Axle Load regulations. Overloading is a major cause of premature road infrastructure failure and road accidents. The World Bank estimates that road accidents cost Pakistan 4.5% of GDP, equivalent to $12.5 billion annually. Strict enforcement of Axle Load laws, including vehicle impoundment and cargo seizure for violations, is essential to safeguard both infrastructure and lives. In the PBC Report: 'Axle Load Enforcement: 1) Strengthen Regulations: Enforce axle load limits uniformly across all regions to minimize road damage and extend infrastructure lifespan. 2) Monitoring and Penalties: Implement weighbridges equipped with automated systems for accurate load monitoring and impose strict penalties for violations'. Despite the best intentions, investments in Pakistan's motorways have largely failed to deliver their intended economic benefits. Many motorways built under BOT arrangements either prohibit overloaded trucks—to protect the infrastructure for which investors are liable—or allow such vehicles, resulting in severe damage and escalating repair costs (major maintenance now required in the second year, instead of the seventh). The motorway network has thus become a white elephant, unable to service its debts or justify the public and private investments made. Motorways cannot be financially viable on passenger traffic alone. Their full commercial and economic potential depends on carrying freight traffic. Yet freight operators avoid these roads, preferring to run overloaded on national highways where axle load limits are not enforced—causing massive damage to both highway infrastructure and the public exchequer. Another pressing need is the modernization of Pakistan's trucking fleet. With only 300,649 registered trucks — compared to India's 12.5 million — the sector suffers from outdated, fuel-inefficient vehicles that raise costs, emissions, and road safety risks. The PBC recommends developing green financing tools to support fleet renewal with Euro-5 compliant and electric vehicles, a move that would also align with emerging global climate regulations like the EU Green Deal. In the Pakistan Business Council Report: 'Fleet Modernization and Financing: Expand Access to Credit: Develop low-interest loan schemes and financial products tailored to small and medium-sized operators, enabling them to upgrade their fleets'. The logistics firms are under immense pressure of excessive rate of taxes, the federal government's recent decision in the 2025-2026 budget to increase the withholding tax on logistics services from 4% to 6%. The 6% on revenue translates to more that 50% of the thin profit margin in this sector. Normal tax rate for companies is about 29% of the profit in Pakistan for other businesses. Even 4% was excessive than 29%. This decision, if implemented, will deal a devastating blow to the service sector — particularly to an already struggling goods transport industry that plays a critical role in Pakistan's economy. This increase will push small and medium-sized transporters out of the formal tax net in a desperate attempt to keep their businesses afloat. This will inevitably undermining both government revenue collection and the rule of law. Roadside security is another concern. Roadside robberies and thefts pose serious risks, particularly in key bottleneck areas. The government must step up security patrols and protect the lifelines of our economy. The path forward is clear: • Enforce Axle Load limits strictly • Provide targeted green financing for fleet upgrades • Establish a unified Ministry of Transport and Logistics to drive reforms • Set a supporting Rate of Tax to logistics, similar to other businesses and industries. By tackling these issues with urgency, Pakistan can transform its logistics sector into a regional powerhouse — supporting exports, creating jobs, and enhancing national competitiveness. On this National Logistics Day, let us commit to unlocking the sector's full potential. RanaAsimShakoor Chairman, FOAP Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Mint
25-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Export thrust: India should move goods like a horse to trade like a tiger
India's merchandise exports grew by a significant 39% from $317.5 billion in 2014 to $441.7 billion in 2024. This rise in exports testifies to India's ambition of positioning itself as a global manufacturing and export powerhouse. Flagship government schemes, such as production-linked incentives (PLI), Make in India and the Phased Manufacturing Programme have played a vital role in India's export thrust. The 'trading across borders' indicator from the World Bank's 2020 Doing Business data-set showed that exporting from India took significant time and money. On average, border procedures alone took 52 hours and $212 per container. Export documentation consumed 12 hours and $58. Importing took even more—with around 65 hours and $266 needed for border clearance, and 20 hours and $100 for documentation. In comparison, China was processing the same export shipments within 21 hours at a slightly higher cost of $256 per container. It processed documents faster too, in 9 hours on average, although the documentation cost is $74, slightly higher than in India. Also Read: IMEC jinx: There's no relief in sight from war clouds over this trade route India was better placed than the likes of Bangladesh and Vietnam, but behind countries like South Korea, which was the world leader on those counts. South Korea was doing border checks in just 13 hours at a cost of $185, and document processing in 1 hour for only $11. All these numbers showed the gap India needed to cover in competition with the world's best export performers. While Doing Business data is old and the World Bank has discontinued this study, its broad 2020 rankings may not have changed very much (except in Vietnam's case perhaps). More recent data from the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index (LPI) offers us another picture. This index tracks the transportation of goods within and between countries, taking into account six measures: customs efficiency, infrastructure, ease of coordinating international shipments, logistics quality, tracking and tracing ability, and punctuality (frequency of on-time shipments). As reported by the 2023 LPI report, India has taken significant strides on logistics, moving its world ranking from No. 54 in 2014 to No. 38 in 2023, with its score rising from 3.08 to 3.4. Its ranking on timeliness rose from No. 51 to No. 35, and its score for logistics competence and quality rose from 52 to 38, signifying higher professionalism and reliability in freight services. Moreover, in terms of infrastructure (covering ports, roads and railways), India's rank rose from No. 58 to No. 47, reflecting the impact of recent investments in physical logistical infrastructure. Still, China is ahead of India on an absolute basis, at 19th place with a score of 3.7. It scores better on all the key factors: timeliness, quality of logistics and impressively on infrastructure, indicating the strength and dependability of its supply chain mechanisms. India's progress is heartening. Yet, continued efforts are needed to reach the logistics performance of global leaders. Also Read: Our trade ambitions should make us look across as many seas as we can India has also achieved impressive reductions in 'dwell time'—the number of days that cargo is held at a terminal or port before it can proceed. In the LPI 2023 report, while 4 to 8 days is the typical dwell time for economies at every level of income, India is on par with Singapore with a dwell time of only 3 days. This is an achievement ahead of the UAE, South Africa, US and Germany, indicative of improved coordination between customs officials, port authorities and logistics firms. Underpinning these efficiency gains is India's massive investment in transport and logistics infrastructure. The coverage of National Highways (NH) increased from 65,569km in 2004 to 146,145km in 2024, with four and more lane stretches rising 2.6 times since 2014. The construction tempo has picked up sharply, from 12.1km per day in 2014-15 to 33.8km per day in 2023-24. Flagship programmes such as the Bharatmala Pariyojana launched in 2017, are developing 26,000km of economic corridors, ring roads, bypasses and elevated corridors to ease city congestion and enhance freight movement. As of November 2024, 18,926km of roads had been constructed under this scheme. Also Read: The time is right for a reset of India's trade ties with China Apart from this, 35 multimodal logistics parks are also being built under the Bharatmala plan, with an aggregate outlay of ₹46,000 crore. On commissioning, these parks will be capable of transporting 700 million metric tonnes of cargo, increasing India's capacity to integrate various modes of transport in a cost-effective manner. India's port cargo handling capacity has nearly doubled from 800.5 million tonnes annually in 2014 to 1,630 million tonnes in 2024, an increase of 87%. India has also climbed in terms of its world ranking in shipments, from No. 44 in 2014 to No. 22 in 2023. Concurrently, the turnaround time (TRT) at major ports—the time that ships spend at port—has declined significantly from 94 hours in 2013-14 to 48.06 hours in 2023–24. Average berth-day production has gone up by 52% and India is also seeing increased tourism through cruise terminals and lighthouse sites. Also Read: India could learn much from the complaints of its trade partners These reforms can be said to represent a paradigm shift. India is slowly putting in place the logistical framework necessary to support its dream of becoming an export-led economy. Continued and deepened, these reforms could bridge the gap between India's expansive trade aspirations and the harsh realities of trading on the international stage, thus making India not just a significant exporter but a truly competitive one. These are the author's personal views. The author is a research associate, NCAER, New Delhi.
New Indian Express
29-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Union Cabinet approves Badvel-Nellore Corridor in Andhra Pradesh
VIJAYAWADA: The meeting of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the construction of a 4-lane Badvel-Nellore Corridor with a length of 108.134 km at a cost of Rs 3,653.10 crore on National Highway 67 under the Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) mode. The proposed Badvel-Nellore Corridor will provide connectivity to important nodes in the three Industrial Corridors of Andhra Pradesh, i.e., Kopparthy Node on the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC), Orvakal Node on Hyderabad-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (HBIC), and Krishnapatnam Node on Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC). This will have a positive impact on the Logistic Performance Index (LPI) of the country. Badvel-Nellore Corridor starts from Gopavaram village on the existing National Highway 67 in Kadapa district and terminates at the Krishnapatnam Port Junction on NH-16 (Chennai-Kolkata) in Nellore district, and will also provide strategic connectivity to Krishnapatnam Port, which has been identified as a priority node under Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor.
