The cement industry can draw some inferences from the first-ever Maritime India Summit 2016, which can help it explore another avenue of logistics which has been very successful elsewhere in the world.
The first Maritime India Summit in Mumbai, besides resulting in business agreements for Rs 82,905 crore investments, played a key role in highlighting the role of port-led development for faster and sustainable economic growth. The National Perspective Plan of the Sagarmala project, which was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14, underlined the government?s seriousness in boosting port-led infrastructure development.

The summit provided a platform for participation, engagement and interaction for delegates from 42 countries. More than 5,000 delegates from around the globe participated in the summit. The 3-day exhibition organised during the summit also drew an enthusiastic response from 197 exhibitors including 81 international companies, 80 Indian private sector companies and 36 government-owned entities. Thirteen thematic sessions and three special sessions on various aspects of the maritime sector were organized, in which more than 80 eminent speakers from across the globe deliberated and shared their vision and experience and interacted with the audience. The thematic session on Maritime Nations highlighted the global nature of the shipping industry and the importance of co-operation & collaboration between maritime nations.

The focus sessions on maritime states brought to fore the investment opportunities in various maritime states and Union Territories of India. In addition, there were sectoral seminars on shipbuilding and ship repair, skill development through maritime education, inland waterways development, cruise shipping and lighthouse tourism, fisheries development and maritime security, which saw serious deliberations. An exclusive CEOs? Forum of select industry leaders was held to deliberate on the potential and growth opportunities of the Indian maritime sector. The enriching discussions, suggestions and learnings from various similar developments in many countries will help the Ministry of Shipping in implementing a sustainable roadmap for the sector. Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari interacted with over 100 foreign delegates and assured them on ease of doing business in India.

The session on the Partner Country Republic of Korea, highlighted the strengths of Korea as a maritime nation, especially in ship building, maritime technology, port-led development, maritime financing and maritime security. The summit has also provided a unique platform to forge new partnerships with other countries. On the sidelines of this summit, high-level bilateral meetings were held with 12 participating countries.

The summit showcased around 240 projects which present investment opportunities during the next five years. The investment potential of these projects is around $66 billion (Rs 4.34 lakh crore). The Ministry of Shipping has established an Investment Facilitation Cell in the Indian Ports Association to follow up on these opportunities with potential investors and ensure that the announcements and intent expressed during the summit materialise into actual projects and investments.

Maritime Heritage Museum – A top draw
One of the top attractions at the summit was the Maritime Heritage Museum, built in the form of a container ship with interiors resembling a Spanish Galleon. The museum depicts the 5,000- year rich maritime heritage of India, right from the earliest port at Lothal to the modern days of shipping in the form of artefacts, replicas, photographs, maps and navigation equipment.