It Is Time India Exploited Her Maritime Power

Posted: Saturday, Apr 05, 2003 at 0000 hrs IST
Updated: Saturday, Apr 05, 2003 at 0000 hrs IST

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: National Maritime Day which is celebrated annually on April 5 seems to go unnoticed in ‘Mughal Delhi’. The major ingredients of maritime power are shipping and shipbuilding, ocean trading, port infrastructure, living (fishing, mangroves, coral) and non-living (offshore oil, gas and seabed minerals) resources, sea-based industries, oceanography, coastal management and sea power. India’s shipping of 7 million tonne comprising 470 ships is sadly only 1.5 per cent of the world’s tonnage and carries 2.9 per cent of India’s foreign trade resulting in a drain of foreign exchange as also impinging on India’s competitiveness.

China, after a retarded start, has increased her shipbuilding tonnage to nearly 15 per cent of the world’s shipping by an integrated policy for ocean development and implementation of ocean-based industries. India on the other hand has her maritime ingredients spread over 14 ministries but with little coordination. Nonetheless, the requirement for a National Coordinating Council for ocean affairs as also an Ocean University continues to remain under active consideration.

Moreover, merchant ships are owned by one company, built in another, flagged by a third, insured in a fourth, registered in a fifth and crewed by nationals of several countries including a large number of well-trained Indian master mariners and English speaking crews. In addition, Flags of Convenience (FOC) ships account for 23 per cent of 88,000 sea going vessels, which amounts to a staggering 53 per cent of the world’s tonnage and flying the flags of Panama, Liberia, Bahamas, Malta and Cyprus. Therefore, globalisation as also regionalism has led to greater flows of merchandise as well as investment and mobility of technology and manpower.

India’s growth rate is critically dependent on exports, which is currently $31 billion and expected to cross $75 billion by 2005. Moreover, 97 per cent of India’s exports by volume and 75 per cent by value is by sea which accounts for 18 per cent of the GDP. Hence it is interesting to note that 92 per cent of China’s trade is sea borne which in a manner makes both continental countries virtually island nations. Energy resources (crude oil, and liquefied natural gas) are clearly the most important commodities with over 3,800 oil tankers sailing annually at India ports to supply Rs 60,000 crore of oil which is expected to increase by 20 per cent annually over the next few years. In addition, India operates 22 offshore oil rigs which are worth Rs 5,000 crore...

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