Government focused on enhancing indigenous capacity in shipbuilding & repair: Secretary at workshop
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) hosted a dynamic and collaborative workshop focused on Shipbuilding and Ship Repair this week, chaired by the Secretary MoPSW Mr T. K. Ramachandran, IAS. The event brought together key stakeholders from the maritime industry to discuss critical issues, share best practices, and foster innovation in ship maintenance and construction.
The Secretary stressed the government’s dedication to enhance the indigenous capacity for shipbuilding and repair through various initiatives like training and skilling, and developing capacity for construction of green tugs and boats. He also emphasised on the need for collaboration across the value chain to foster synergies, which would enable India to achieve targets set in MIV 2030 and MAKV 2047.
The workshop was divided into 2 sessions, the morning session focused on shipbuilding and the afternoon session on ship repair. The shipbuilding sessions revolved around the global trends in the domain, followed by the state of the current shipbuilding market in India. Distinguished speakers gave insightful inputs and engaged in interactive discussions on trends & challenges in shipbuilding & prospects of bringing in green initiatives in the shipping sector.
This was followed by specific discussions on the targets corresponding to shipbuilding stated in the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. The current initiatives being taken up by the Government of India were highlighted, which would enable India to make its mark in the global shipbuilding market.
The ship repair session focused on the existing challenges like higher costs, unavailability of spares, Customs related issues, etc. Subsequently, the discussions revolved around the prospective solutions for India to become a global leader in ship repair.
The workshop provided a unique opportunity for participants to exchange ideas, forge partnerships and explore avenues for collaboration. Networking sessions facilitated meaningful interactions and laid the foundation for future joint initiatives aimed at advancing the maritime sector’s interests.
International participants with deep expertise in the sector also attended the workshop, from multiple countries like South Korea, Bahrain, UAE, etc., and various international practices were discussed, as per an official release.
Some of the discussions revolved around:
* Long term clarity/visibility from the government on rules, regulation and project pipeline for the shipyards to plan the course of future events accordingly.
* Possible opportunities like the India-Gulf-Europe corridors were proposed.
* The need for building infrastructure, improving the productivity of staff/workers, etc. needs to be focused upon.
* Initiatives for transitioning to a green ecosystem needs to be undertaken.
* Need to create database for shipbuilders and ship repair.
* Longer charting contracts with OMCs needs to be worked out to have better visibility for shipping companies.
* Academic institutions like IMU and CEMS may collaborate with industry participants to develop relevant and practical training models.
* IRS needs to collaborate with the industry on design standardisation of certain segments starting with tug boats, coastal vessels, etc.
The discussions at the workshop would help channelise the efforts of the Government of India to make India a global leader in the shipbuilding and ship repair domains, the release emphasised.
Source: Exim News Service: New Delhi, Feb. 22