The Indian Navy deployed an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Mk –III aircraft together with aircrew and a support team to Maldives on 27th April, to assist the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) in “coastal surveillance and reconnaissance”. This came close on the heels of the visit of the Maldivian President Abdullah Yameen to India earlier […]
The U.S. President Barack Obama made his maiden trip to Vietnam towards the end of his term in office in May 2016. The visit was to strengthen U.S.-Vietnam relations, as follow-on to the process of rapprochement between the two states, which began after the end of Cold War. Among the significant outcomes of the visit […]
At the Maritime India Summit held in Mumbai on 14 April 2016, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the Sagarmala National Perspective Plan; spelt out his government’s vision and rationale for ‘port-led development model’ which is central to the Sagarmala vision; and stated, “…This will be done in collaboration with the coastal states.”1 Sagarmala […]
The India International Centre at Delhi – considered the hub of cultural and intellectual activity in the capital city, was witness to a unique event on the afternoon of 17 May 16. Organised by the Chinese Embassy in Delhi, the ‘public lecture’ saw six speakers articulate their views on the South China Sea (SCS) maritime […]
Oceans which occupy more than 70% of the earth’s surface are unlimited sources of renewable energy. It is estimated that ocean energy can provide upto 1,000,000 EJ of renewable energy per year; second only to solar energy has a resource availability of 3,900,000 EJ per year. However, out of this annual energy flow, only a […]
On April 14, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the National Perspective Plan of the Ministry of Shipping at the first Maritime India Summit held in Mumbai in which 42 countries participated. This Plan was titled, ‘Sagarmala’–a term which has now become synonymous with the maritime sector. It was first coined in 2003 by the […]
India has announced that its march towards developing the blue economy has begun and “India is on the brink of a blue revolution”. The Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways has stated that the government plans to invest Rs 12 lakh crore over the next ten years to develop 27 industrial clusters, and […]
Maritime India Summit (MIS) 2016 which is an endeavour of the Government of India to promote growth of the maritime sector in the country was held in Mumbai from 14-16 April 2016. Various initiatives such as port modernization, new port development, inland waterways, hinterland connectivity & multimodal logistics, international & coastal shipping, ship building, ship […]
Two high profile visits originated out of Sri Lanka in the first week of April: that of the Sri Lankan Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Kolitha Gunatilleke to India between 03 – 08 April and the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to China between 06-09 April. Arguably, the latter had a […]
The recent Maritime India Summit 2016 in Mumbai was the first ever large scale global maritime event hosted by India. It was also an opportune moment for the Indian Prime Minister to announce his vision of a ‘maritime India’ built around robust infrastructure to complement the hinterland development plans. The thrust of his speech was […]
As the geo-political region of the Asia-Pacific is witnessing competition among established players such as the USA and China, the South Pacific Islands have begun to receive more attention. This is especially so in the context of India’s maritime, economic, and diplomatic interests and aspirations. Despite the tyranny of distance from Eurasia the South Pacific […]
On 16 March 2016, Bangladesh Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan launched the coastal shipping service between Bangladesh and India at a ceremony at New Mooring Container Terminal of Chittagong Port. The Minister said coastal shipping was being implemented within a year of the coastal shipping agreement having been concluded during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Bangladesh […]