Indian Maritime Centre conducts its 1st EGM and prepares roadmap to contribute in Viksit Bharat Vision

By Admin

08 Jul, 2025

The Indian Maritime Centre (IMC) conducted its first Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on 4th July 2025, marking a historic milestone in India’s maritime sector. The meeting brought together 37 esteemed members, including CEOs and senior officials from Major Ports, State Maritime Boards, Trade Associations, and top organizations such as Indian Maritime University (IMU), Container Shipping Lines Association (CSLA), Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), CONCOR, Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), Indian Ports Global Ltd (IPGL), India Port Rail and Ropeway Corporation Ltd (IPRCL), Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL), Sagarmala Development Company Ltd (SDCL), National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI), ACTO, and Indian Naval Academy (INA).

Vision for a Viksit Maritime Sector

Presiding over the meeting, Mr. Devki Nandan, Chairman of IMC, unveiled the vision and mission of the Centre, outlining its strategic roadmap aligned with the Maritime India Vision-2030. Emphasizing the pivotal role of the maritime industry in national development, he stated that as India prepares to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2047, the growth of the maritime sector is critical to achieving the Viksit Bharat (Developed India) goal.

He underlined that IMC will play a catalytic role in uniting the maritime fraternity, amplifying India’s maritime voice globally, and serving as a key driver for sustainable growth in the sector.

Platform for Collaboration and Policy Support

Shri Shankar Shinde (Vice Chairman), Capt Sankalp Shukla (Director & Hon. Secretary), Capt Vikas Vij (Director & Treasurer) along with Mr. Rahul Modi and Mr. Maneesh Pradhan, emphasized that the IMC will provide a common platform for all stakeholders in the maritime sector. IMC aims to act as a think tank for policy formulation, engage in national and international flagship events, and drive collaborations through strategic partnerships.

Key announcements included:

• Future collaborations with NITI Aayog and German Maritime Centre
  
  

• Strategic partnership with Informa Markets for INMEX SMM India
  
  

• Active participation in India Maritime Week-2025 organized by MoPSW
  
  

• Curating the India Pavilion at SMM Hamburg 2026, the world’s leading maritime trade fair.
  
  

Thought Leadership and Evidence-Based Policy

Dr. Malini Shankar, Vice Chancellor of IMU, suggested IMC’s pivotal role as a policy think tank, especially in international cooperation and bilateral maritime agreements. She stressed the importance of data-driven policymaking through statistical analysis and surveys. She also proposed collaboration between IMC and IMU’s Centre for Policy Research to advance research-backed strategies for the sector.

Simplification, Financing, and Regulatory Participation

Shri Sunil Vaswani from CSLA urged the IMC to address areas of digitalisation, process simplification, and ease of doing business. Capt Arvind Verma from IPRCL emphasized that DG Shipping should consider IMC’s inputs for holistic policy formulation.

Mr. Amit Verma, GM of SDCL, highlighted the recent launch of Sagarmala Finance Corporation Ltd (SFCL) on 26th June 2025. He invited IMC to collaborate by offering its insights to shape debt financing solutions for the maritime sector.

A Collective Commitment

The Chairman and Board of Directors concluded the session with heartfelt thanks to all attendees, expressing deep appreciation for the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) for its visionary leadership and support in the creation and growth of IMC.

The EGM concluded with a vibrant “Meet & Greet” session, fostering deeper connections and domain knowledge exchange among members.