India to Appoint Coastal Shipping Consultant
As part of Narendra Modi government plan to promote coastal shipping, India is all set to appoint a consultancy firm to assist the Shipping Ministry.
The Press Trust of India quotes the Shipping Ministry document saying that promotion of coastal shipping and inland water transport (IWT) facilities could be enhanced through a mix of infrastructure and policy initiatives.
It added that bids for appointment of a consultant have been invited and a final decision was likely soon.
For a country with a coastline of 7,500 kilometres (kms), shoreline shipping plays a surprisingly small role. The share of coastal shipping in India is low when compared with Europe and other nations in Asia where it has flourished due to focused policy interventions.
India has almost 70 per cent of 835 vessels engaged in coastal shipping, as of December last year, under the Indian flag. However, India’s movement of domestic cargo through water transport is paltry in comparison to other countries. While it’s 20 per cent in China, 24 per cent in Brazil and over 42 per cent in Japan, it’s a lowly seven per cent in India.
The document said some of initiatives to promote coastal shipping include providing green channel for coastal cargo and easier ingress/egress from ports and simplifying procedures on manning norms.
It also include promoting research and manufacturing of equipment and vessels for coastal/inland use besides providing for provisions for setting up a coastal shipping promotion fund.
