Mr President, Secretary General, Your
Excellencies, distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset, I would like to congratulate
the new President and his team on their election yesterday. It is indeed an
honour and privilege to stand here today to share with this distinguished
audience regarding our maritime heritage and the initiatives taken by our
Government in the maritime sphere.
Indias ancient trade and cultural ties with
Mesopotamia, Mediterranean rim countries; South East Asia, China, Middle East
and Africa are testimonial to our rich maritime heritage. India has a large
coastline of 7500 Kms., inland waterways of 20,000 Kms., over 200 major and
minor ports and increasing ship building, ship repair and ship recycling
facilities.
India is also strategically located in the
corridor through which substantial part of the east-west seaborne traffic
flows.India has about one thousand four hundred vessels with Gross Tonnage of
about 12.2 million. In addition, India has a large number of inland and
near-coastal vessels. Nearly 90% of Indias overseas trade by volume is carried
through ships of which 92% is carried by foreign flag vessels.
With the Indian economy poised to grow
faster, our Government is alive to the possibility of a quantum jump in the
maritime activities on the Indian Coasts. We are upgrading our infrastructure
and reforming the regulatory framework for ease of doing business. SAGARMALA,
our flagship programme launched in 2015 for port led development, has four
limbs, namely, port modernization and new port development; port connectivity;
port led industrialization; and port community development. Under this
programme, 6 new major ports, 150 projects to modernize existing ports
including construction of new berths, and 130 projects in rail & road
sectors for last mile connectivity have been identified requiring investment of
$100 BILLION by 2025, of which, about 40 BILLION dollars already stands spent.
111 inland waterways fit for river navigation have been identified, of which 32
will be developed in the first phase at an estimated investment of $800
million. These projects provide major investment opportunities for the
International Community.
Distinguished delegates, India has benefitted
immensely from the free and frank deliberations and exchange of ideas in IMO.
As we expand our maritime activities, the guidance of IMO will become even more
valuable. India has been one of the founder members of IMO and has been part of
the IMO Council since then, except in 1983-84. In Category B of the Council,
India represents the developing world and the nations with the largest share in
international sea borne trade.
Dr.C.P. Srivastava, IMOs longest serving
Secretary General from 1974 to 1989 remains the most important face of Indias
commitment to the IMOs activities. His contribution in establishing World
Maritime University, Sweden, International Maritime Academy, Italy, and
International Maritime Law Institute, Malta will always be remembered.
The worlds premier ship recycling facility is
located at Alang Sosiya, in Gujarat, where nearly half of the worlds scrapped
ships are recycled. To make ship recycling industry safe for its workers and
the surrounding environment, a draft legislation to implement the Hong Kong
Convention is now undergoing pre-legislative consultations and I am confident
that we would ratify this convention in not so distant future.
India has more than Four Hundred Thousand
seafarers who are the preferred choice for specialized vessels. India provides
the services of its expert manpower for Member State Audit Scheme, Goal Based
Standards (GBS), and Working Groups etc. Capt. Radhika Menon, from India became
the first woman in the world to receive IMOs Award for Exceptional Bravery,
2016.
Distinguished delegates,
India is a key player in the space technology
with the distinction of launching into orbit a record breaking 104 nano
satellites, from a single rocket on 14th Feb, 2017. I am happy to note, that
application of Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System or IRNSS" in
the maritime field is being pursued in IMO. I am sure, the maritime community
will benefit with the induction of this additional new facility. India became
the largest contributor to IOPC Funds this year, and has accepted the position
of Vice Chair of the Executive Committee of the IOPC Funds and is in its Joint
Audit Body.
The Maritime India Summit, 2016 was attended
by 5000 delegates from 42 countries. India has signed agreements on Maritime
Transport with 27 countries and many more will follow. India remains an
observer member of the Arctic Council.
The Indian Naval ships and aircrafts continue
to escort merchant ships of all nations in the Gulf of Aden. Even though there
have been no successful hijackings of commercial vessels since May 2012, in the
waters east of 65 degrees longitude, India continues to participate in all
global forum to eradicate piracy in the Somalia region. India has been elected
as a Co-chair for Working Group 1 of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast
of Somalia (CGPCS).
India has an efficient and vigilant Search
and Rescue (SAR) set-up and has made commendable efforts to rescue seafarers in
distress situations in the Indian SAR area, covering the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal
and the Arabian Sea. The launch of IRNSS will further strengthen our SAR
efforts.
Distinguished delegates,
India is committed to contribute to various
efforts & initiatives of the IMO for a safe, efficient, clean and secure
maritime transportation for the benefit of mankind. India is hereby putting
forward her candidature for a re-election to the Council of the IMO in
Category-B representing the developing countries and countries with the largest
interests in international sea borne trade. In the event of India being
re-elected, it would rededicate herself, with renewed commitment towards the
development of the objectives of IMO, and leverage the opportunity to further
strengthen the implementation of the IMO instruments, for the accelerated &
sustained growth of the global maritime community.
Thank you.
Source: business-standard .28 November 2017
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