India’s first Naval and Maritime Expo (NAMEXPO), now under way on the Cochin Port premises, is set to be a biennial event.
“We have taken a decision in principle to hold the expo every two years in Kochi,” Rajesh Kapoor, Director of Defence, Aerospace and Security at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), told The Hindu .
One main reason for the expo to be held in Kerala was its rich maritime tradition, culture and scope for nurturing entrepreneurship. The expo underscored that the State had the potential to emerge as a naval and maritime hub, he said.
Dr. Kapoor said 15 countries had sent delegations to the expo, the biggest being Russia with 60 members. The U.K. had sent a 12-member team. “Besides Russia, there’s keen participation from countries like the U.K., the U.S., Israel, Sweden, Brazil, Spain, France and Germany,” he said.
While the expo facilitated interaction between the Navy and the Coast Guard with industries outside India and domestic players in the first two days, it also provided a platform for medium- and small-scale industries to connect with foreign original equipment manufacturers, besides exposing them to the domestic defence manufacturing sector. The Ministry of Earth Sciences, which needed high-end technology for ocean explorations and studies, also got a chance to meet on a common platform various stakeholders in the field, he added.
