Page 204 - Technology Roadmap Transportation

TECHNOLOGY VISION 2035

7.0

CONCLUSION AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

The shipping sector, besides transport of goods 5. Transhipment hub ports with good
and passengers, presents ample opportunities connectivity to hinterland, at least one
in the fields of ship building, ship repairing, port on the east coast and one on the west
infrastructure, human resource development, coastfor handling of container traffic capable
logistics and supply chain management and of accommodating present day largest
other related activities. India as one of the fastest container vessels of up to 19224 TEUs need
growing economies of the world, needs to bring to be developed so that our dependence
radical changes in shipping related activities. on foreign ports for transporting Indian
containers may be minimised.
1. Growth of Indian tonnage has not kept pace
vis-à-vis development of our trade. Lack 6. Steps need to be taken to enhance safety
of cargo support and financial incentives and security of maritime navigation in and
have led to the share of Indian shipping around Indian subcontinent and also protect
companies in carrying Indian cargoes decline our fishermen.
to abysmally low figures. India needs to
adopt Cabotage and cargo support policies 7. Strengthening of maritime communication
like rest of the world in order to improve network in India through Long Range
Indian tonnage to respectable levels. Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system,
Automatic Identification System (AIS),
2. The entire tax structure in the country needs Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System
to be rationalised and brought in line with (IRNSS) must be prioritised.
other maritime nations, which offer tax free
regime to shipping. This must be done in 8. Emission abatement systems, better hull
order to create a level playing field for the forms, better engines, new propeller
Indian ship owners. technology and operational optimisation
have the potential to bring improvement
3. An integrated transport policy or an in efficiency of the shipping industry and
institutional mechanism that encourages and compliance with contemporary International
promotes inter-modal coordination with Rules and Regulations.
reasonable share of road, rail, coastal and
inland shipping with seamless integration 9. There are numerous other environmental
needs to be developed for growth of coastal issues on the agenda of IMO that are set
and inland shipping. to become important after 2020. Those
expected to be most significant from a
4. A number of non-major ports with good regulatory perspective are black carbon
connectivity to hinterland along the east emission, hull bio-fouling and underwater
and west coast of India having draft of 7-9.5 noise Pro-active steps need to be taken to
metres need to be developed for growth address the implication of these regulations.
of coastal shipping. Port infrastructure in the
inland regions and along the river channels 10. Promising technologies for energy
with good connectivity to hinterland and generation such as from alternative fuels
capable of accommodating small vessels and (biofuels, LNG, Methanol, Hydrogen etc.),
barges needs to be created for growth of fuel cell technology or non-fossil renewable
inland shipping. This would entail large scale natural sources of energy (wind, solar
dredging operations of the existing ports power etc.) to be developed to achieve the
and the river channels. medium and long term goal of low energy
and low emission i.e. green shipping.

202 WATERWAYS