ZEN SCM

In global logistics, timing is everything. Knowing where your cargo is and what might affect its arrival isn’t just a nice-to-have it’s essential for keeping costs down, customers happy, and operations running smoothly. That’s where real-time AIS tracking (Automatic Identification System) comes in.

Used originally for marine safety, AIS data has now become a game-changer in modern supply chain intelligence.

🚢 What Is AIS Tracking?

AIS is a satellite and shore-based system that transmits live data about a vessel’s position, speed, course, and identity. It’s mandated for most commercial ships globally.

But when paired with smart logistics platforms like ZenSCM, AIS becomes far more than a map it becomes a predictive tool for proactive logistics management.

💡 What AIS Tracking Enables in Enterprise Logistics

✅ Real-Time Vessel Positioning

Know exactly where your vessel is not just based on shipping line updates, but from independent, verified satellite feeds.

✅ ETA Accuracy & Predictive Delays

AIS-powered systems can calculate more accurate Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) by factoring in live speed, congestion zones, and weather disruptions.

✅ Disruption Detection

Port congestion, route diversions, unexpected idling, or anchorage delays? AIS reveals these in real time, so you’re not caught off guard.

✅ Better Planning Across Functions

• Logistics teams can pre-book trucks or storage more accurately.
• Procurement teams can align inbound planning with production needs.
• Customer service can manage expectations with visibility-backed updates.

🔍 The Power of AIS + Control Tower

ZenSCM Control Tower integrates AIS tracking directly into your shipment lifecycle — giving you more than a live map. It delivers actionable insights that reduce delays, optimize planning, and cut costs.

What You Get with ZenSCM Control Tower:

• Live vessel tracking integrated with other shipment legs
• Geofencing & port-level alerts (e.g. “Entered anchorage,” “Berthing delayed”)
• ETA predictions based on vessel behaviour and historical congestion data
• Disruption alerts when a vessel slows, reroutes, or idles unexpectedly
• Auto-milestone updates across legs: ocean, port, customs, road
• Collaborative notifications to vendors, forwarders, internal stakeholders

This is visibility that works for your business – not just your map.

📩 Ready to experience the Control Tower in action?
Book your demo today!

Supply chain issues are no longer just operational headaches. They’re strategic threats and they’ve earned their seat in the boardroom. Whether it’s a delayed container affecting production lines or an unexpected disruption causing customer SLA failures, supply chain visibility has become a C-suite priority.

The High Cost of Low Visibility

Today’s enterprises operate across multiple geographies, vendors, ports, and modes. When visibility is fragmented, the risks multiply:

• Missed delivery windows → Lost revenue
• Untracked detention charges → Soaring costs
• Siloed data → Poor cross-functional decision-making
• No disruption foresight → Production stoppages

These aren’t operational inefficiencies they’re business threats

Visibility Has Escalated to Strategy

Here’s why visibility is now a boardroom concern:

• CFOs need accurate logistics cost forecasting.
• COOs must ensure supply chain continuity across global lanes.
• CEOs want customer commitments met without compromise.
• Boards demand resilience in the face of geopolitical and operational shocks.

Simply put: If you can’t see your supply chain, you can’t manage your business.

Introducing ZenSCM Control Tower

ZenSCM Control Tower isn’t just a dashboard. It’s a live, intelligent command center for your entire shipment ecosystem. Purpose-built for enterprise logistics in India and beyond, it delivers true shipment lifecycle visibility across stakeholders, lanes, and legs.

✅ Key Capabilities:

• Real-time shipment tracking via AIS, GPS, and partner integrations
• Milestone monitoring (Pickup → Customs → Final Delivery)
• Disruption alerts for strikes, weather, port congestion, and route anomalies
• Detention and dwell tracking with auto-calculations
• Documentation status across CHA, freight forwarders, and carriers
• Live sharing links for external stakeholder updates
• Custom dashboards with role-specific insights for operations, finance, and leadership

Why the Boardroom Cares

When enterprises implement ZenSCM Control Tower, here’s what changes at the leadership level:

Stakeholder	Benefit
COO	Preempt delays, reroute shipments, maintain delivery continuity
CFO	Gain accurate, real-time logistics cost tracking and forecast models
CSCO	Confidently manage vendor performance and risk exposure
CEO	Deliver customer SLAs consistently and build resilience into operations

🔍 Conclusion: Visibility Is Just the Start — Control Is the Goal

The question isn’t whether visibility matters. It’s whether your visibility is actionable, real-time, and tied to your business decisions.

With ZenSCM Control Tower, you move from chasing updates to confidently managing outcomes from the floor to the boardroom.

📩 Ready to experience the Control Tower in action?
Book your demo today!

Since mid-2024, the operationalization of the Eastern Maritime Corridor, a new sea route from Chennai to Vladivostok, has significantly reduced shipping time and transportation costs between India and Russia.

This new route spans approximately 5,600 nautical miles, cutting transit time to 24 days compared to over 40 days on the traditional Mumbai-St Petersburg route. The route has facilitated enhanced trade of commodities such as crude oil, coal, LNG, fertilizers, and containerized cargo.

India surpassed China as the largest buyer of Russian oil in July 2024, with the new shipping corridor aiding the efficient transport of Russian crude such as the medium-sour Urals grade.

The shift aligns with strategic objectives beyond energy trade, including military cooperation and geopolitical partnerships. The route leverages eastern Indian ports including Chennai, Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Tuticorin, Ennore, and Kolkata to handle diverse cargo types.

India’s deeper engagement with Russia via this corridor is enhancing bilateral trade efficiency and reinforcing strategic ties.

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The Government of India has adopted a cautious and strategic approach toward Free Trade Agreements, placing priority on safeguarding the interests of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and farmers.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar emphasized the importance of aligning trade negotiations with domestic policies to ensure that FTAs support rather than harm Indian economic sectors, particularly manufacturing.

He highlighted the need to reconsider ASEAN-India trade agreements due to adverse impacts on Indian manufacturing, and pointed to the complex non-trade-related issues in negotiations with the European Union and the United Kingdom.

Regarding disrupted shipping routes in the Red Sea due to ongoing conflicts, India is actively working to mitigate related economic impacts through deploying naval assets and engaging in diplomatic efforts to ensure stability in West Asia and the Middle East.

The government’s approach reflects its commitment to protect vulnerable sectors while strengthening India’s global trade stature.

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Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated further on Saturday after New Delhi ramped up its response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, with a ban on imports, incoming mail and parcels from Pakistan and restricting docking of ships from the country at all Indian ports.

These three measures are the latest in a series of strong actions taken by the Indian government following the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.

Meanwhile, Pakistan on Saturday tested a ballistic missile with a range of 450 km, a move viewed by India as a serious provocation. Earlier, Islamabad violated ceasefire multiple times by firing on Indian posts along the Line of Control.

Pakistani Ships Restricted In India

India has officially prohibited Pakistani-flagged ships from entering Indian ports and has similarly restricted Indian vessels from accessing ports in Pakistan, according to an order issued by the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS).

“This order is issued to ensure the safety of Indian assets, cargo and connected infrastructure, in the public interest and for the interest of Indian shipping,” the DGS said. The order shall be enforced immediately and will stay in place until further notice.

The restriction has been imposed under Section 411 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, which grants the Directorate General of Shipping authority to issue directives that protect national interests and safeguard Indian shipping. This provision applies to Indian-flagged vessels worldwide and foreign-flagged ships operating in Indian waters, primarily to ensure safety of lives at sea.

Ban On Imports From Pakistan

In another bold move, India imposed a blanket ban on all direct and indirect imports from Pakistan through a new provision introduced in the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP). The ban covers the “direct or indirect import or transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan” and is effective immediately until further orders.

This action is implemented in the interest of national security and public policy. In retaliation, Pakistan has suspended all trade with India, a move expected to halt cross-border trade valued at approximately Rs 3,886 crore.

Ban On Pakistani Postal Services And Websites

India’s third measure was a ban on all physical mail and parcels from Pakistan. “The Government of India has decided to suspend the exchange of all categories of inbound mail and parcels from Pakistan via air and surface routes,” an official order stated.

Additionally, India is considering blocking access to Pakistani IP addresses, a move that could disrupt digital communication and internet-based services between the two countries.

Earlier, India imposed a complete closure of its airspace to all aircraft registered, operated, or leased by Pakistan, including commercial airlines. This airspace ban took effect on April 30 and will remain in place until May 23, 2025.

Source: News18.com, Published May 03, 2025