Corporate viewpoint Canopus Group
CANOPUS Group of Companies
C
aptain Pankaj K Mishra is Founder,
aspects of the shipping business. But bulk car-
Chairman & Chief Executive of the
riers remained my specific interest and whilst at
Canopus group of companies and
Adsteam I remained very hands-on in dry bulk
an expert on the Indian ports sector
ship operations and management.
and bulk shipping markets. In this interview, he try, explains his current business interests and
When did you decide to go into business on your own?
gives a valuable insight into the Indian maritime
It was in 2002 that I decided to create my own
market.
company, which I did with my younger brother
tells us a little about his experience in the indus-
who is a marine engineer and who had served
How did you get into the industry? Tell us a little of your experience in shipping
at sea for a number of years as chief engineer.
After initial training on TS Rajendra (formally TS
and port agency services to ships calling at
Dufferine) I began my shipping career as a cadet
I formed Canopus Shipping & Trading Pvt Ltd based in Mumbai to focus on delivering ship Captain Pankaj K Mishra
ports in India. Over the years we have grown the company and we now operate 10 branch
with the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI). I joined SCI as a cadet in 1981 and trained on
our industry and it was this experience that gave
offices throughout India. In addition, we have
general cargo, container, dry bulk, tankers and
me the insight and drive to form the companies
developed a network of 25 third-party agents
passenger ships. I qualified as a second mate
I run today.
that operate under our Standard Operating Procedures. This means that Canopus is able
and later sailed on various foreign flag vessels managed by companies such as Anglo Eastern,
When did you come ashore?
Univan, Nomadic Shipping, Varun Shipping,
On qualifying as a master, I immediately enrolled
commercial port in India. It also allows us to
Hede Navigation and Hamilton Maritime, mostly
for an extra master certificate of competen-
provide a global perspective whilst retaining
on handymax and panamax bulk carriers. During
cy. After I passed that examination, I joined
in-depth local knowledge and to deliver efficient
this period, I qualified as a ships’ master and
LBS College of Advanced Maritime Studies
services at a reasonable cost.
was fortunate to visit many ports across the
in Mumbai and began teaching mariners. A
world and to experience many different cultures.
few years later, in the mid 1990s, I went back
Seafaring was different then; nowadays ships
to sea and then took a commercial position
How did the business develop?
spend less time in port and seafarers do not
with a container shipping company engaged
A logical extension to our agency business was
really get the opportunity to mingle with the
in feeder container services. I was later given
to provide shipbroking services. Canopus was
local people and experience what life is like in
the responsibility to set up a coastal container
already offering a limited broking service but
foreign parts.
feeder service on the Indian coast. The job was
I created Viking Shipmanagers in 2005 as a
I then spent a couple of years ashore before
challenging and I enjoyed it. I was then asked
dedicated dry bulk shipbroking operation. Viking
taking command of a 35,000 dwt dry bulk car-
to head-up the Indian shipping activities for
has offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Calcutta and
rier followed by command of a cargo ship that
Adsteam Marine that was, at that time, the larg-
employs six brokers. The company specialises
was tramping around the Indian subcontinent
est towing company in the world. This proved to
in dry bulk movements into and out of India. Our
and Far East. This was a wonderful experience
be a valuable experience as our activities ranged
main trades are coal, coke and iron ore, moving
for me, as my job was not only to command the
from shipmanagement, crewing, tramp agency,
in vessels ranging from handysize to capesize.
vessel but also to find employment for it. We
liner services, operation of a container freight
As specialists in this market, our brokers really
would spend two to three weeks in each port
station, dry bulk chartering, and P&I services.
understand the sector and are able to provide
discharging cargo and also fixing our next trip in
I acted as P&I correspondent for the Swedish
high quality services to our extensive customer
close coordination with the owners. I had lots of
Club and Skuld in India for about five years. This
base. India has a growing requirement to move
flexibility and it was a great learning experience.
role equipped me with commercial manage-
bulk commodities into and out of the country,
It also exposed me to the commercial side of
ment skills for all types of vessels and various
but our domestic fleet is not able to handle this
24
theBaltic June 2010 www.thebaltic.com
to deliver high-quality agency services at every