Kerala can look forward to ports-led development, say speakers at maritime summit roadshow in Kochi

Kochi roadshow ahead of Global Maritime India Summit 2023 in Mumbai showcases ports-led development for Kerala, with Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur, and representatives from stakeholders in maritime sector participating. Cochin Port Authority, Cochin Shipyard, Indian Ports Association and FICCI organised the event.

Kerala can look forward to ports-led development for the future given its advantages and the presence of big players on the scene such as the Cochin Port Authority and Cochin Shipyard, said speakers at the Kochi roadshow ahead of Global Maritime India Summit 2023 in Mumbai in the second week of October.

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, who inaugurated the roadshow on a virtual platform on September 28, said that Kerala’s can be a ports-led development. He said that the free trade warehousing zone is one such development that will help Kerala.

Shantanu Thakur, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, who too addressed the roadshow virtually, said that Kochi and Kerala in general should be showcased at the upcoming global maritime event in Mumbai.

Vikas Narwal, deputy chairman of the Cochin Port Authority, made a presentation on the maritime summit that will be held between October 17 and 19. He said that Kerala should be able to draw potential investors using the platform provided by the international maritime summit.

Chairperson of the Cochin Port Authority M. Beena said that Kochi had grown into a major destination for cruise operations and it promised to grow into a cruise hub. The port of Kochi had come a long way in its growth in several spheres and was now also bunkering LNG, she said.

Representatives from among the stakeholders in the maritime sectors, including ports, shipyards, cargo operators, shipping companies and so on, participated in the roadshow. Sunil Mukundan, manaaging director of India Ports Limited, Madhu S. Nair, chairman and managing director of Cochin Shipyard Limited, N.S. Pillai, chairman of the Kerala Maritime Board, and Praveen Joseph, CEO of India Gateway Terminal Pvt. Ltd(IGTPL) DP World were among those who spoke at the roadshow.

The maritime summit Kochi roadshow was organised jointly by Cochin Port Authority, Cochin Shipyard Limited, the Indian Ports Association and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).