The Ministry of Shipping called for a brainstorming session with key stakeholders in Mumbai on 01st August 2018. The meeting was chaired by Chairman Indian Ports Association and was attended with representation from D.G. Shipping, Customs, and the Port Trusts – JNPT Mumbai, VOCPT Tuticorin, VPT Vizag and ChPT Chennai.
Promoting transshipment in India would lead to cargo growth at Indian ports emanating not only from India but also potentially other countries in the region, which in turn would lead to creation of jobs in India, growth of the accompanying ecosystem, revenue growth for Indian ports, and retention of foreign exchange in India. The development of such transshipment hubs shall provide a fillip to the overall growth in the Indian port and shipping sector.
Separate sessions were held with container shipping lines and port terminal operators to understand the operational and commercial constraints which need to be alleviated in order to realize the Ministry of Shipping’s vision of transforming India into a global transhipment hub.
It was recommended that in addition to the recent relaxation for chartering foreign flagged vessels in India, by improving on the ease of doing business and improving the port infrastructure to support large vessel calls, some of the existing major and non-major ports in the country could potentially be recognized on the routes of global shipping lines with calls from mother ships.
At the end of the day-long brainstorming session, an action plan was prepared by the officials to support the requirements and conditions proposed by the industry.
