Showcasing opportunities

The India Maritime 2012 Exhibition and Conference held on 17-20 October 2012 in Panaji was an ideal platform for policy debate, knowledge sharing and showcasing the opportunities in Indian maritime sector.

The India Maritime 2012 Exhibition and Conference jointly organised by the Ministry of Shipping and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) concluded success¡fully in Panaji, Goa. GK Vasan, Union Minister for Shipping, inaugurated the event on 17 October at Panaji. Government of Goa was the ”Host State’ for the event. The theme of the event was ‘Building a global maritime sector’.

The minister released the FICCI-E&Y knowledge paper on the Indian maritime sector covering a large number of important areas. Pradeep K Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, Government of India, was also present at the event and delivered keynote address.

A special session on ‘Investment Opportunities in Goa’ was also organised on 17 October to showcase the opportunities available for private investors in the state of Goa. The session was aimed at deliberating on strategies, which would enable the state to attract investment.

India Maritime Conference 2012 was held on 18 October to discuss some of the critical issues. The conference focused on procedural bottlenecks and other stumbling blocks in maritime infrastructure development and brainstorm strategy options towards building a globally competitive maritime sector.

Eminent speakers like N Muruganandam, Joint Secretary (Ports), Ministry of Shipping, Government of India; L Radhakrishnan, Chairman, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust; S Hajara, Chairman & Managing Director, Shipping Corporation of India; Rajiv Agarwal, Co-Chairman, FICCI National Committee on Infrastructure & MD, Essar Ports; Capt BV JK Sharma, Joint Managing Director & CEO, JSW Infrastructure; Dinesh Lal, Chairman, APM Terminals Mumbai (Gateway Terminals India); K Subramaniam, CMD, Cochin Shipyard; DK Sinha, Deputy Director General, Directorate of Lighthouses and Lightships; Anil Devli, CEO, Indian National Shipowners’ Association; and other experts from the maritime sector addressed the conference. It played out to be an ideal platform for policy debate, knowledge sharing and showcasing the opportunities in Indian maritime sector.