National Maritime Day is celebrated in India on April 5th to commemorate the first Indian flagged ship that sailed from Bombay to London in 1919. India has a long and rich maritime history dating back 3000 BC and was a global leader in shipbuilding with large vessels capable of carrying hundreds of passengers. However, British policies crippled India's shipbuilding industry. Now, India is seeking to revitalize its shipping sector through initiatives like Sagarmala which aims to boost infrastructure investment over $400 billion. Some challenges include overcapacity, governance issues between central and state authorities, and the need to modernize ports. The future remains positive with continued reforms and investment.

1. NATIONAL MARITIME DAY
CELEBRATIONS COMMITTEE 2017
CONNECTING INDIA THROUGH SHIPPING
CAPT A MENON

2. • NATIONAL MARITIME DAY: 5TH
APRIL
• On this day in 1919 navigation history was
created when SS LOYALTY, the first
Indian Flagged ship of The Scindia Steam
Navigation Co Ltd., journeyed from
Bombay to London.

4. • For the Indian Shipping Industry it has
been a steady uptrend since then.
• Currently, India has 12 major and 200
notified minor and intermediate ports.
Cargo traffic, which recorded 1,052
Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) in 2015, is
expected to reach 1,758 MMT by 2017

5. • India’s Ancient and Great Maritime
History
• As early as 3000 BC, a maritime trade
network that incorporated the use of
compasses, planked ships, and trained
navigators that reached parts of western
Asia, Mesopotamia, Africa, and other ports
far beyond their borders. India was then
the light of the world.

6. An ancient engraving showing an Indian ship
during the Vedic times 1500 to 500 BC.

7. By the sixth century the Shipping Industry in
India was well developed. Big ships were
built. They could carry anywhere upwards
from 500 men on the high seas.
The Rajavalliya says that the ship in which King
Sinhaba of Bengal (ca. sixth century BCE] sent
Prince Vijaya, accommodated full 700
passengers.

8. • The ship in which Vijaya’s Pandyan bride was
brought over to Lanka carried 800 passengers
on board. The ship in which the Buddha made
his voyages from Bharukachha (Broach) to the
‘sea of the seven gems’ [Sri Lanka], carried 700
merchants besides himself.
• The Samuddha Vanija Jakarta mentions a ship
that accommodated one thousand carpenters."

9. Historian Nicolo Conti says: “The natives
of India build some ships larger than ours,
capable of containing 2,000 butts, and with
five sails and as many masts. The lower
part is constructed with triple planks, in
order to withstand the force of the
tempests, to which they are much exposed.
Ships were strong and sturdy”

10. An Indian ship built in the eighth century.

11. • There was an increase in Roman trade with
India following the Roman annexation of
Egypt. By the time of Augustus up to 120
ships were setting sail every year from Myos
Hormos to India.

14. • As trade between India and the world increased
spices took over from silk to become the main
import from India to the West.
• The Indian connection with SE Asia proved
vital to the merchants there during the 7th–8th
century.
• Indians were the first settlers in Australia from
4200 years ago. 11 percent of Aboriginal DNA
is of Indian descent.

15. • In the period of 984-1042 CE, the Chola kings
dispatched great naval expeditions which
occupied parts of Burma, Malaya and
Sumatra, while suppressing the piratical
activities of the Sumatra warlords.
• In 1292 CE, when Marco Polo came to India,
he described Indian ships as “built of fir
timber, having a sheath of boards laid over the
planking in every part, caulked with iron nails.

17. • By the tenth century India had ships were so
huge that about 300 boatmen were needed
to row them. About 3000-4000 gunny bags
could be loaded in each ship. They had many
small rooms for people to live in. These rooms
had arrangements for all kinds of comfort.

18. • Many Indian ships were built in compartments
so that even if one part was shattered, the next
remained intact, thus enabling the ship to
complete her voyage.
• Today we know it as Subdivision of vessels,
SOLAS, 1974, Chapter II-1 .

20. • When the westerners made contact with India,
they were amazed to see their ships. Until the
17th
century, European ships were a maximum
of 600 tonnes. But in India, they saw such big
ships as the Gogha, which was more than
1500 tonnes.
• The Dariya Daulat, built in India which
worked for 87 years without any repairs.

21. • Indian ships were superior to their British
counterparts both in design and durability. This
so agitated British ship builders on the River
Thames that they protested against the use of
Indian built ships to carry trade from England.
• Consequently, active measures were adopted
to cripple the Indian shipbuilding industries.
This was perhaps the beginning of the end
of Indian shipbuilding.

22. • THE CURRENT SCENARIO:
• India has a large merchant shipping fleet
and ranked 17th among the developing
countries with average age of the fleet
being 18.03 years.
• India shares only 0.5 % of the global
shipping market.

23. • CONNECTING INDIA: THE FUTURE
• India's largest container handling port
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) has
signed an agreement to raise US$ 400 million
from State Bank of India and Development
Bank of Singapore, to improve the
infrastructure required for doubling its
existing capacity to 9.85 million TEUs
annually.

25. • Inland Waterways Authority of India
(IWAI) and India Ports Global Private
Limited (IPGPL) have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for
implementation of three additional works
worth Rs 476 crore (US$ 70 million) in the
Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport
Project (KMTTP) in Myanmar.

28.
• The Maritime India Summit 2016, which
was held in Mumbai between 14th-16th
April, attracted investments worth Rs
82,905 crore (US$ 12.18 billion) across
141 memorandum of understanding
(MOU) and business agreements, which
were signed by various players in the
maritime sector

29.
• JM Baxi Group has initiated talks with
Private Equity (PE) funds to raise around
US$ 150-200 million, for enhancing port
terminals and container handling facilities.
• DP World Pvt. Ltd, world’s fourth biggest
container port operator, plans to invest over
US$1 billion in India, for augmenting its
port-related operations.

30.
DP World Project, Mundra

31.
• Jindal ITF plans to invest nearly Rs 500
crore (US$ 73.48 million) to further
transloading operations in Haldia.
• The company, which already transports
imported coal in barges to NTPC's power
plants in Farakka and Kahalgaon from the
Sandheads, plans to transload cargo at the
deep-drafted location at Kanika Sands
and transport it to Haldia.

33.
• AN MoU has been signed between the
IWAI and Dedicated Freight Corridor
Corporation of India (DFCCIL) to create
logistics hubs with rail connectivity at
Varanasi and other places on national
waterways.
• Thus will provide a seamless, efficient and
cost-effective cargo transportation solution
between land and sea.

34.
Construction of the Dedicated Freight Corridor

35.
• The Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) has
outlined an Rs 3,000 crore (US$ 440.9
million) expansion-cum-modernisation
plan aimed at enhancing the port's capacity
by nearly 50 per cent.

36.
Visakhapatnam Port

41.
Progress of Sagarmala Project as of Mar 2017

42.
• Sagarmala is the future of the Indian
Shipping Industry and the pinnacle of
economic prosperity of India. This is what
connecting India through shipping all about.

43.
• CHALLENGES TROUBLING THE
INDIAN SHIPPING INDUSTRY
1. Low demand and oversupply
• Demand from China, the world’s largest
importer of bulk commodities is slowing
down, more quickly than expected. And
adding to the existing troubles is the
delivery of ships whose orders were placed
before the financial crisis.

44.
Vessel capacity growth continues to outdo
demand that causes low freight rates
and affects the market.
• On the other hand, vessel valuations
have dropped and prices for scrap
metal remain very low. As a result,
many vessel owners have preferred to
hold on to their ships in wait for a
better future.

45.
2. Governance Issues
- Major ports are managed by the Central
Gove while minor ports are managerd by
State Govt – This leads to disco-ordination.
- Single National maritime Authority of India.
3. Connectivity
- Rail – road – inland waterways linkage is
poor. To counter this, the Govt has set up
Indian port Rail Corp (MoS)

46.
4. Port led Industrialization:
- Poor but huge scope for improvement
- Govt has identified 27 potential coastal
industrial corridors across three sectors –
energy, material & manufacturing
5. Modernization of ports:
- Siltation n poor dredging, lack of
mechanization of cargo handling facilities,
congestion & lack of future roadmap

47.
- Dedicated Freight Corridor, 100% FDI in
port sector, Tax holidays, Building smaller
ports along the coast and reviving inland
waterways to ease the load on highways and
railroads and facilitate regional trade.
Coastal Community:
- Coastal townships with modern facilities
need to be created

48.
Thus we see that a lot is being done.
Initiatives are being taken both by the Govt
and the Industry. PPP is a fantastic route for
infrastructural development.
Sagarmala project has huge potential with
projected investments of more than Rs
400,000 crore.
The future of Indian Shipping is bright!

49.
Thus the road is long but the future is bright.
• The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep, and miles
to go before I sleep and miles to go
before I sleep
- Robert Frost

50.
THANK YOU