Mumbai's beautiful Eastern Waterfront was the site of the Grand Finale of the Diamond Jubilee of National Maritime Day commemorating the first Indian-owned vessel “S S Loyalty” on her maiden voyage from Mumbai to London, on April 5, 1919.
Owned by Scindia started by Walchand Hirachand and Narottam Morarjee, S S 'Loyalty' sailed from Alexandra ( now Indira ) Dock despite strong opposition from the British who detained the ship for six months in London. (Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (SSNC) was India's first indigenous shipping company, established on 16 October 1906, in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin district)
Distinguished seafarers and their families and two delegations from the Netherlands and Denmark attended the function at the Domestic Cruise Terminal in a culmination of weeklong celebrations. The gala event was presided over by Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shantanu Thakur.
The Chief Guest for the function was Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management, Kingdom of the Netherlands Mark Harbers.
Both dignitaries jointly presented the prestigious NMDC awards
to meritorious maritime achievers. The
Sagar Samman Varuna Award bestowed on Capt. Thanuvelil Koshy Joseph was collected on his behalf by his daughter Dr Anna Jacob.
The Sagar Samman Award for Excellence
bagged by Mr. Indra Nath Bose was collected by his sister and brother in law.
The Sagar Samman Award for Gallantry
won by Capt. Anil Choudhary was collected by his wife Dr Rajeshwari.
Moreover, 14 maritime organisations were recognised for their outstanding performance in different fields.
In a message from Delhi, the Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said he was pleased that the theme adopted for the 60th edition of the National Maritime Day 2023 celebrations is Amrit Kaal in Shipping. This theme refers to the most auspicious period to start new ventures which also holds true for shipping, he said.
Union Minister of State Shantanu Thakur underlined the strong need to promote coastal shipping as an energy-efficient and low-cost mode of transport, both for passengers and freight. This should be done through PPP mode, with viability gap funding, he said, adding
“Shipping has to become more modern, promoting green shipping are among our priorities as we endeavour to achieve goals set in Maritime Vision India 2030. Reducing pollution intensity and introducing renewable energy and green hydrogen in shipping sector needs to be given utmost attention.”
Netherlands Minister Mark Harbers noted that “Today, about 90% of global trade routes are maritime, 90% of all necessities we use in daily life have probably completed a long journey across the world's oceans, our daily existence depends heavily on maritime transport. With its central location along the world's shipping routes and with around 7500 km of coastline, India is a key maritime player. This maritime DNA is something India and the Netherlands share.”
The Dutch Minister recalled that the age-old maritime relationship between the two countries dates back more than 400 years; the first trading activity of the Dutch on the Malabar and Coromandel coasts marks the beginning of our strong maritime ties. "With the establishment of diplomatic relationships 75 years ago, these ties have only become stronger. The Netherlands is Europe's gateway to the rest of the world and vice versa. Over the centuries, we have built up a wealth of expertise in shipping, ship building, port infrastructure and logistics, an expertise we are happy to share with good friends.”
The Dutch Minister also noted that Maritime India Vision 2030 is about accelerated growth over the next decade across ports, shipping and waterways, in terms of capacity, economic growth and sustainability. The efforts announced show ambitious this vision is. The emphasis is there on green and sustainable port development, ship building, logistics sufficiency, repairs and recycling, coastal shipping, inland waterways, digitalization and maritime trading.”
Mr Harbers spoke about the recently signed MoU between India and the Netherlands and how it will help deepen the maritime cooperation between the two countries. “Over the last few days, India and Netherlands discussed collaboration along various fronts, including in zero emission shipping, inland waterways technology for improving sustainable water-borne transport. You can't help but be inspired with the eagerness of Indian and Dutch companies to join forces and navigate a shared sustainable maritime future. The Netherlands is proud to be here as India's partner on this day, let us chart a sustainable maritime future.
By working together, we can respond to many challenges facing us today, such as extreme weather due to climate change, the need for smart transport solutions in dense urban areas and the quest to make our energy systems more sustainable.”
Director General of Shipping, Rajiv Jalota traced India's past glory and dominance in shipping and seaborne trade. “Documented proofs of maritime trade are found in the Indus Valley civilization and in excavation of a tidal dockyard at Lothal, Gujarat which date back to 2500 B.C. The concept of maritime insurance and administrative setup related to merchant marines are found in Chanakya’s Arthashastra. During Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s regime in Maharashtra, the importance of maritime dominance was acknowledged and strengthened.”
The Director General urged the shipping industry to gear up for the next generation by using technology.
The gala event was attended by representatives of DG Shipping, IRS, Ports, Shipping Companies, Maritime Training Institutes, RPSL, MTOs, Unions and maritime experts from India and abroad including Capt M. P. Bhasin, Managing Director, MSC Crewing Services plc, Capt Tyagi,CMD, Shipping Corp.of India, A K Gupta, ex chairman SCI, Amitabh Kumar, former DG Shipping
and Capt Kamal Chaddha, Secretary of Maritime Trainers Guild.
Dr. Pandurang Raut, Deputy Director General of Shipping and Member Secretary, NMCDC (Central) Committee delivered the vote of thanks.
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