It is important for the maritime and port sector to have a clear idea of what needs to be done for the next two-and-a-half decades, Sunil Paliwal, chairman of The Chennai Port Authority and CMD, Kamarajar Port Limited, said on Friday.
While speaking at the CII Southern Region Maritime Technology Conclave 2022, held in Chennai, he said, in March 2021, during the Maritime India Summit, the Maritime India Vision 2030 was launched. The use of technology has delineated a clear timeframe for various milestones to be achieved in different aspects of the maritime sector and there is a push being made to achieve these milestones.
“Chennai Port has completed 141 years of official existence; we have been making essential plans for the next two decades on how it can grow and how its role can change. Kamarajar Port too, in our assessment, will be a major port for this part of country for helping trade and commerce grow in the next 25 years,” he added.
M. Beena, chairperson, Cochin Port Authority said the pandemic has brought resilience to the port sector and the use of technology and increased dependence on technology is one of the important takeaways from it. “Port infrastructure, development of new terminals, the role of PPPs, connectivity of ports, Gati Shakthi and the Sagarmala programme are some of the core infrastructure initiatives which have been changing the face of Indian maritime sector,” she added.
Malini V. Shankar, vice chancellor of Indian Maritime University said, in the field of shipping and ports, this digitisation has led to robotics, digital twins and these technological advancements have led to enhanced efficiency, increased safety, improved maintenance, increased speed and scale of production and optimisation of costly resources.
