Sagarmanthan, South Asia’s largest maritime thought leadership forum, begins. Organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Government of India, in association with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), the maiden edition of ‘Sagarmanthan – The Great Oceans Dialogue’ aims to foster knowledge on the maritime sector and provide a premier global platform for global leaders, policymakers, business moguls, thought leaders and visionaries to share, learn and shape actionable insights towards effective decisions for a future-ready, sustainable and efficient marine sector.
International attendees include Christos Stylianides, the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Greece; Amzath Ahmed, the Minister of State for Fisheries and Ocean Resources, Maldives; John Kayode Fayemi, Pioneer President of the Forum of Regions of Africa, Nigeria; and Harry Theoharis, the Member of Parliament, Greece. The dialogue will feature more than 160 participants from 60 countries across the globe, including ministers, former heads of state and government, journalists, and experts.
Rizwan Soomar, CEO & Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa & India Subcontinent, DP World, will discuss trade connectivity and maritime logistics, while Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council in India, will highlight India’s evolving role in the global maritime economy. Signe Brudeset, Director General of the Regional Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway, will contribute insights on sustainable maritime policies and international partnerships.
Dhruv Kotak, Group Managing Director, J.M. Baxi Group, India, who is one of the key members steering the discussions, will be part of a panel discussion titled ‘Smart Seas: Innovations in Shipping and Beyond’ scheduled for the 2nd day of the event.
The key discussion points at the session will include what the fleets and ports of the future will look like. How are AI, new energy, and digitalization transforming processes and mechanisms? What role does investment in public infrastructure, whether physical or virtual, have in supporting this transformation? What can like-minded countries learn from each other, and how can we support each other in creating resilient, innovative, and secure supply chains? and how can large datasets be leveraged to ensure security at sea?
The event will also be moderated by Samir Saran, the President, Observer Research Foundation (ORF), in the presence of the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, as well as the Union Minister of State, MoPSW, Shantanu Thakur. Global speakers from Nigeria, Greece, Maldives, the Netherlands, South Africa, Taiwan, Belgium, Egypt, Norway, Brazil, Australia, Denmark, Ethiopia, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Tunisia, Turkey, the USA, South Korea, Switzerland, the UK, New Zealand, the UAE, Kenya, Argentina, and Papua New Guinea are scheduled to speak at this premium maritime thought leadership summit.
Participants will be engaging in critical conversations around the blue economy, maritime logistics, ports, shipping and waterways sectors, critical minerals, diversified supply chains, the global maritime economy, and training and labour standards. Over the course of two days, Sagarmanthan will act as a catalyst for engaging diverse stakeholders from policymaking ecosystems, helping inform perspectives on India, its ambitions, presence, and interests, and steering conversations on maritime issues of global relevance.
