Aviation has glamour. Shipping has secrecy. Merchant shipping, specifically, suffers from a lack of exposure nowadays because of recent defence and security measures built into most aspects of the business. This is especially so in India, which, despite its 7,500-km long coastline and multiple islands, lacks a perspective on maritime maturity as an essential element of economic strength. To take just one example, we casually let the retreating British give away our Chagos archipelago to the US, which then established its geo-strategically significant Diego Garcia base, while making it a critical mission to fight Pakistan for the icy waste of Siachen. This speaks volumes for maritime myopia.
The financial sector, understandably, is more concerned about the country?s dismal seaport infrastructure. How this impacts the economy, and not just domestic and international trade, is becoming increasingly apparent as the price of crude oil climbs higher by the day. The fact is that there is no cheaper way to transport anything in the world than by sea. Just look at a map of India. It?s a landmass blessed in a way that few recognise. Vast tonnages of cargo sent by ship from Gujarat to West Bengal would cost far less that using our existing railway lines, and wouldn?t take any longer. Ships along the coast, looping around the southern tip, could be an amazingly time-crunching reality the minute the Sethu Samudram pass opens up to traffic.
Meanwhile, internal and external trade competitiveness is the name of the game. So, why aren?t we able to get our sea cargo act together? Are clogged ports the only reason? Well, one reason is that sea routes simply exist. They?re there for the asking. No road-building, no track laying, no bridge contracts, no toll booths, no inspection halts?and no kickbacks. Bluntly put, infrastructure planners have little incentive to relieve India?s overland transport networks by encouraging sea traffic. There?s scope for pelf in delayed transit, so easily done on road and rail. Why risk being upstaged by a southern sea loop? So, while Canada uses the distant Panama Canal to send cargo from coast to coast, we talk animatedly about a dedicated railway freight corridor even as sea possibilities languish. In Canada, the shipping lines and railways go back together in history a long way, and continue to work in alliance.
But first things first. India has at least 186 known ports. Many more could easily lay claim to being called ports, as they handle smaller traditional dhows and barges, both legit and otherwise. However, these ports haven?t changed much since 1947, and only a few can handle industrial scale cargo. Some of them now have deep-water outer berths. There?s Nava Sheva/JNPT off New Bombay. Yes, the much talked about Kandla has replaced Karachi, thanks in part to Gujarati influence. But by and large, things have not moved much from 7-10 metre draft logistics in the last 60 odd years. If anything, Kolkata and Mumbai ports are worse off than they were in 1947 because of severe siltation, the battle against which is plainly a losing one, making it a phenomenon that?s doing little beyond fattening dredging cartels.
The notable new ports include Mundra in Gujarat in the Gulf of Kutch, Dighi in Raigad, south of Mumbai, and Gangavaram in Andhra, south of Vishakaptnam. These are classified as ?large? ports, though not ?major? ports, despite being bigger than the ?major? ports. Government classification has never been easy to either interpret or understand. The basic point is this?barring Gujarat, port infrastructure everywhere else is largely stuck where it was in the old days. This, of course, is not news. What is news is that for the first time, multiple role players recently got together at a conference organised by Ficci in Mumbai. They were there to discuss seaport infrastructure, and the lack thereof.
(To be continued)
Veeresh Malik is an ex-seafarer, with current interests in shipping and technology. He is founder of Pacific Shipping and director of Infonox. These are his personal views
