Three infrastructure projects totaling ₹4,000 crore in Kochi – a new dry dock and an International Ship Repair Facility (ISRF) of Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) and an LPG import terminal of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) at Puthuvypeen near here – are in line with the vision to transform India’s ports, shipping and inland water transport sectors by boosting capacity-building and self-sufficiency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on January 17 (Wednesday) after inaugurating the projects.
The Centre has been ushering in reforms to bring about ease of business in these areas, he added.
Mr. Modi recalled the role that ports have played in ushering in prosperity in India of yore and envisaged a similar role for the ports along the country’s 7,500-km coastline at a time the country is making new strides and becoming a prominent centre of global trade. It is in such a scenario that the government was engaged in augmenting infrastructure in port cities such Kochi, he said, highlighting how the Sagarmala Project will help improve connectivity between ports.
Along with the country’s largest dry dock, the ship building, ship repairing and LPG import terminal will catalyse the development of Kerala and other southern parts of the country. The construction of indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant at the Cochin Shipyard helped a lot of MSMEs. New facilities such as the ones launched on the day will enhance the capabilities of the shipyard many times, said Mr. Modi in his speech delivered in Hindi.
Referring to Indian ports achieving double-digit annual growth in the last 10 years, Mr. Modi said the situation when ships had to wait for long at ports and to unload has changed, so much so that India has surpassed many developed nations when it came to their turnaround time. Likewise, timely changes to laws related to Indian seafarers led to an increase in their numbers by 140%.
The new dry dock will enable big vessels to dock here for repairs, reducing dependence on foreign countries and thus saving foreign exchange. The International Ship Repair Facility will transform Kochi into South Asia’s largest ship-repair centre. A new ecosystem of MSMEs is envisaged, with the inauguration of such big shipbuilding and repair facilities. The new LPG import terminal will meet the LPG needs of Kochi, Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Calicut, Madurai, and Trichy, while also supporting industries, other economic development activities and creation of new jobs in these areas, said Mr. Modi.
Green technology
Referring to electric-hybrid Kochi Water Metro ferries built at the Cochin Shipyard, the Prime Minister said such green-technology capabilities have enabled construction of passenger ferries for Ayodhya, Varanasi, Mathura and Guwahati by the yard. In addition, zero-emission electric cargo ferries were being made for Norway, while work was in progress on the world’s first hydrogen-fueled feeder container vessel. “This shows that the shipyard is taking ahead the mission of taking India towards hydrogen-fuel-based transport. I am confident that very soon, the country will also get indigenous hydrogen fuel cell ferry,” he said.
The Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor will further strengthen the creation of Viksit Bharat by boosting the coastal economy, he said, adding that the recently-launched Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision presented a roadmap to reinforce India’s maritime prowess.
Blue economy
Highlighting the role of the fishermen community in the blue economy and port-led development, Mr. Modi credited the manifold increase in fish production and exports in the last decade to the development of infrastructure projects under the PM Matsya Sampada Yojna, subsidy provided by the Centre for modernising boats to carry out deep-sea fishing and the Kisan Credit Card scheme for fishermen. The seafood processing sector too is on the growth path, he said.
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were among those who spoke.
Source: The Hindu