As India charts its voyage as the port of call for world trade, ports and terminals see the dire need to meet the growing demand in both infrastructure and capacity for vessels crisscrossing between the West and the East. About 95 per cent of Indian overseas cargo by volume and 75 per cent by value are carried by sea.
The major ports thus play a key role in facilitating external trade. Development of India’s Port and Shipping industry is therefore critical to sustaining current levels and achieving higher levels of growth in the years to come.
The capacity of Indian ports stood at 1 billion metric tonnes per annum in the month of January, last year. The capacity has risen to 1160 million metric tonnes as on 31.12.2011.
The recently concluded “India Maritime Week” in New Delhi provided the perfect platform for policy makers, decision makers and industry captains working across diverse spheres to share a common cause of development of the maritime sector. The Conference deliberated on a number of issues ranging from equipment for handling huge loads and capacities, leverage technologies, enterprise resource planning to the international port perspective, the inland dimension, trends and changes in global freight flows etc.
The India Maritime Week, 2012 that concluded this week, brought together national and global leaders, experts, policymakers, investors and all stakeholders in the field of maritime activity.
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Dredging Today Staff, January 25, 2012;