Mumbai, 30 Oct (HS): Nitesh Narayan Rane, Minister

of Fisheries and Ports Development will address the inaugural session of the 4th

'Maritime India Conference and Exhibition' organized by Federation of Indian

Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on Monday ()Nov 2) at the Bombay

Exhibition Centre in Mumbai.

The three-day conference, will see participation

from policy makers, port authority officials, shipping companies, shipbuilding

companies and investors. The conference is aimed at developing India as a major

hub for global maritime trade. The theme of the conference, organised in

collaboration with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, is' India as

a Global Maritime Trade Hub: Trade, Transformation and Sustainable Development

'.

More than 10,000 business visitors have registered

so far, with a total of 16,000 visitors targeted this year. More than 150

companies will be participating in the expo, out of which 92 per cent are from

the private sector.

Karnataka, Odisha, Goa, and Maharashtra are the four

partner states of the exhibition. Maritime troupes from these states will also

be participating in the exhibition. The partner ports are Mumbai Port

Authority, Paradip Port Authority, VOChidambaranar Port Authority and Deendayal

Port Authority. Also, the Inland Waterways Authority of India will be

participating as an institutional partner.

The Netherlands is the partner country for the

exhibition and will be setting up a special exhibition gallery. Delegations

from Italy, Norway and Singapore will also participate in the conference. Companies

and institutions from the UAE, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, Japan, and

Switzerland will also participate in the expo.

Minister Rane will be accompanied by Vijay Shankar,

President Designate, FICCI and Chairman, Sanmar Group, Dhruv Kotak, Chairman,

FICCI Ports and Shipping Committee and Managing Director, JM Bakshi Company, Nabil

Touati, Consul General of the Netherlands in Mumbai, Bineesh Kumar Tyagi,

Chairman and Managing Director, Shipping Corporation of India, Sushil Kumar

Singh, President, Indian Ports Association, Shyam Jagannathan, Director

General, Directorate General of Shipping and Sushil Kumar Lohani, Chairman,

Inland Waterways Authority of India.

Four important knowledge-based reports will be

released by FICCI during the inaugural session. These include FICCI and PwC's'

Modern and Future Ready Ports', FICCI and AT Kearney's' Trade, Transport and

Global Connectivity: Connecting the hinterland, integrating different modes of

transport and faster movement of cargo ', FICCI and EY's' Enabling India's

Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Capacity: Roadmap for Industrial Expansion ', and

FICCI and CRISIL's report on India's domestic cargo box manufacturing.

Seven special sessions on modern technology-based

ports, trade and global connectivity, cargo and storage systems, shipbuilding,

eco-friendly shipping, inland waterways, passenger ship tourism as well as

maritime investment and security will be held during the conference.

Global shipping companies and port management majors

such as MSC, CMA CGM, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, DP World, and PSA will participate

in the conference. Also participating will be the Cochin Shipyard, Mazagon

Docks, shipbuilding companies such as GRSE and Titagarh, energy companies such

as BPCL, ONGC and Indian Oil, as well as financial institutions such as Exim

Bank, NIIF and IFSCA. Special invitation-based roundtables for senior

executives of major companies and diplomats have also been organised on the inaugural

day.

More than 2.000 business-to-business and

business-to-government meetings will be held to connect port management

agencies, shipping companies, and technology service providers with potential

business partners. This will help create new opportunities for business

collaboration, investment, and partnerships, both domestically and

internationally.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Ajay Vasant Mardikar