The National Maritime Foundation (NMF) is undertaking a series of comparative studies involving countries that have developed advanced legal, institutional, and operational frameworks for the protection and management of underwater cultural heritage (UCH). As India increasingly seeks to reclaim its identity as a maritime civilisation, comparative analysis offers an opportunity to examine […]
China’s rejection of the 2016 South China Sea arbitral award is often read as proof of resolve. But calibrated compliance may have served Beijing’s long-term interests better than outright defiance. By rejecting the award, China transformed a limited legal setback into a wider strategic liability. —– China treated the 2016 South China […]
Making Waves’ is a compilation of maritime news and news analyses drawn from national and international online sources. Drawn directly from original sources, minor editorial amendments are made by specialists on maritime affairs. It is intended for academic research, and not for commercial use. NMF expresses its gratitude to all sources of information, which are […]
Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, AVSM & Bar, VSM, IN (Retd), Director General, National Maritime Foundation (NMF), addressed the ongoing Higher Command Course at AWC on “Security in the Indo-Pacific Region and India”. During his address, Vice Admiral Chauhan examined the evolving strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific and its implications for India’s national security and maritime […]
Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, AVSM & Bar, VSM, IN (Retd), Director General, National Maritime Foundation (NMF), delivered an insightful address at the National Defence College, on 13 July 2026, on the topic “Oceans and the Laws of the Sea”. During his talk, Vice Admiral Chauhan examined the strategic and legal significance of the oceans, with […]
Rear Admiral Monty Khanna (Retd) – ‘Dabolim Diaries’ Issue No 26 dated 09 Jul 2026 China expeditionary capabilities continue to grow from strength to strength. While this has been a long-term enterprise dating back several decades and rooted in the conquest of Taiwan, more recently its expeditionary assets have been observed to grow in both […]
In September 2023, at the G20 Summit in New Delhi, eight parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), a multimodal connectivity framework linking India to Europe through the Gulf. The geopolitical logic was sound. The corridor offered an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, […]
Making Waves’ is a compilation of maritime news and news analyses drawn from national and international online sources. Drawn directly from original sources, minor editorial amendments are made by specialists on maritime affairs. It is intended for academic research, and not for commercial use. NMF expresses its gratitude to all sources of information, which are […]
Keywords: Nicobarese, Maritime Knowledge, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Maritime Anthropology, Austroasiatic Migration, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Hodi Canoe, Oral Tradition, Monsoon Navigation, Canoe Technology, Island Communities, Indian Ocean History, Maritime Heritage, Indigenous Knowledge. When historians write about maritime civilisations, they reach for Phoenicia, Greece, Portugal. They speak of daring navigators who conquered […]
Strategic Overview The Indo-Pacific has assumed very considerable strategic importance in global geopolitics, elevating the significance of every segment and sub-segment of this vast and predominantly (albeit not exclusively) maritime space. While global attention is currently riveted upon the western segment of the Indo-Pacific (that is, the Indian Ocean) and the sub-segment […]
With less than 6% of India’s overseas trade being carried on Indian-flagged or Indian-owned vessels till FY19, the reliance of Indian trade upon foreign-flagged vessels and its consequent vulnerability is well-known to the Government of India.[1] While in 2025, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, has claimed […]
Keywords: India–Republic of Korea Relations; Shipbuilding; VOYAGES Framework; Thoothukudi Greenfield Shipyard; Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047; Technology Transfer; National Shipbuilding Mission; Maritime Industrial Cooperation. The India–ROK relationship has often been characterised as sporadic and lacking strategic depth. Bilateral ties have evolved under two broad frameworks: the “Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement” (2009), […]