19-Feb-2019: Two-day Regional Maritime Safety Conference 2019 begins in Mumbai
The Regional Maritime Safety Conference 2019, being organized by India for the first time, commenced in Mumbai. The two-day conference will deliberate on issues related to assuring maritime safety in the India-ASEAN sub-region, safeguarding our shores and promoting maritime trade. The conference will address a range of issues that affect regional maritime safety, including transport safety, maritime law, ship building, transportation of hazardous goods, marine oil spill, pollution and environmental safety. The inaugural edition is being organized by the National Maritime Foundation (NMF), in coordination with Ministry of Shipping and Ministry of External Affairs.
With the linking of domestic crude oil prices with prices of international crude, India is witnessing a growth in coastal shipping and inland waterways. Our ports have seen growth in movement of fertilizers, food grains, automotive, and other bulk materials. The number of seafarers grew by 35% in 2018 as compared to 2017; there has been a growth also in the blue economy which is related to the maritime sector.
Maritime trade is very important for India, which has a coastline nearly 7,500 km long and India has been engaging very actively with ASEAN countries in the maritime sector. The concept of Sagarmala – port-led development in the region – has given a special impetus to maritime trade and commerce.
Along with growth, safety and security too needs to be ensured. Sustainable development in shipping and ports is a challenge that needs to be addressed. The introduction of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) low sulphur regulations for marine fuel oil, which comes into effect from January 1, 2020, is a challenge for the region. New regulations are being developed, and the IMO Sub-Committee on Environment is deliberating on implementation of the regulations.
India’s relationship with ASEAN countries has gone a long way from a central partner in 1992 to summit partner. The turnaround came in 2014 when Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi initiated the Act East Policy, whereby a policy underpinned by concrete actions and deliverables was adopted by both sides. The partnership has blossomed on the all three pillars of polity and security, economy and sociocultural dimensions. The high point of the partnership was when India hosted all ten leaders of the ASEAN countries at the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in New Delhi on January 25 – 26, 2018. Various initiatives have been taken since then to further cooperation in maritime sector, centred largely on the blue economy. Two workshops on blue economy were held and the deliverables of the workshops were summarized in ten recommendations which have been submitted by India to the foreign ministers of the ten ASEAN countries. Three conferences on maritime security and cooperation have been held under the aegis of East Asia Summit as well. The Maritime Safety Conference will be able to formulate recommendations and solutions for India, ASEAN countries and other participating countries to ensure a safer and cleaner maritime environment.
Globalization has resulted in vulnerability of the oceans; the Indian Ocean is the third largest water body of the world and countries on the rim of the ocean are home to nearly one-third of humanity. There is a need for greater interaction between various constructs and structures in the region, such as SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), Indian Ocean Rim Association, Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, ASEAN, East Asia Summit and Western Pacific Naval Symposium.
The Chairman underlined the importance of effective information-sharing arrangements in enhancing maritime domain awareness. He informed that India has created a significant network by linking up Automatic Identification System Network, Coastal Radar Stations and 51 stations of the Navy and the Coast Guard into Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC), set up by the Indian Navy in 2014. The Indian Navy has set up the Information Fusion Centre in 2018. Both these contribute significantly in improving maritime domain awareness. India has entered into technical agreements with a large number of countries, including ASEAN countries, for exchange of white shipping information.
Indiscriminate pollution of seas is turning extreme climatic conditions into natural disasters. Optimal utilization of resources for ensuring sustainable development of oceans is necessary. The UN document, “Transforming our World – Agenda 2030” and Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG-14 provide a template for conservation of oceanic resources. There is a need to harmonize the South Asia Seas Programme and East Asia Seas Programme; this is an avenue for cooperation between India and ASEAN, for improving maritime environment safety and thereby helping ensure clean and healthy oceans for future generations. Deep sea sustainable fishing, a focus area for National Fisheries Policy 2017, is another avenue for India – ASEAN cooperation.
The Chairman hoped that the conference will result in formulation of concrete action plans for India – ASEAN cooperation in advancing maritime safety in the region, which he said has emerged as a centre of economic and strategic development in the maritime domain.
Coast Guard Commander (Western Seaboard), ADG K. Natarajan, PTM, ATM said that the conference addresses key maritime issues which are vital for sustainable development of the India-ASEAN sub-region. He said that we need to collectively develop strategies for safe harnessing and conservation of oceans. Speaking of the importance of ecologically judicial exploitation of oceans and safe operations, the Commander made reference to UNCLOS 1982 and Coast Guard Act 1978. The Coast Guard has been involved in ocean peace-keeping initiatives with international maritime agencies and information-sharing agreements in cooperation with countries in the region, said Shri Natarajan.
Informing that Coast Guard is the National Coordinating Agency for maritime search and rescue, the Commander said that the Coast Guard has established systems to augment its capabilities. With reduction in search component with advancement of technology, the rescue component has increased. The Indian Coast Guard has saved more than 10,000 lives, saving one precious life every second day, said the Commander.
The Commander recalled that India has played an active role in setting up information-sharing centres and in the functioning of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP). He said that the cooperative framework has significantly reduced the threat of piracy and armed robbery in the region, paving the way for safer seas.
While focusing on the need for sustainable exploitation to prevent ecological imbalance, the Commander said that there is an urgent need to address regulations governing carriage of safety equipment by fisher-folk as preventive mechanism. Speaking of the threat of oil spills, he informed that the Indian Coast Guard has assumed the responsibility of Central Coordinating Authority for oil response in maritime zones of India. Under the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan, the Coast Guard has both developed its own capability and has been guiding government agencies as well. The organization is also committed to regional cooperation. He said that the Government last year approved the signing of an MoU between India and South Asian Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) and nominated Indian Coast Guard as the competent national authority and contact point for implementation of Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan. He expressed the hope that the conference will lead to a strengthening of the regional cooperative mechanism for safe, secure and cleaner seas.
27-Nov-2018: Raksha Mantri Launches ‘Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti’
Raksha Mantri Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman has formally launched ‘Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti’. The event showcased salient inventions and innovations achieved by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and Ordnance Factories (OFs) which have resulted in successful filing of Intellectual Property Right (IPR) applications. Smt. Sitharaman also felicitated some of the scientists, who invented and innovated useful products for the nation. A panel discussion was held with participation of Chairman and Managing Directors of all DPSUs to formulate a strategy for the future in this regard.
Raksha Mantri lauded the efforts of Department of Defence Production and Directorate General Quality Assurance (DGQA) for focused efforts in spreading awareness about IPR, thus promoting a culture of innovation and creation of Intellectual Property. Smt. Sitharaman highlighted that while India has always been a knowledge hub since ancient times, however, due to lack of awareness on modern legal framework for protection of IP rights, our knowledge and creativity have often not been utilised to its full potential.
The IPR has emerged as a key ingredient of an ecosystem which stimulates innovation and ingenuity. An IP Facilitation Cell was established in April this year which has worked tirelessly to achieve ambitious targets of training 10,000 personnel of OFB and DPSUs on IPR and to facilitate filing of at least 1,000 new IPR applications.
As part of the ongoing initiatives to enhance self-reliance in defence, the Department of Defence Production has instituted a new framework titled ‘Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti’ which aims to provide a boost to the IPR culture in indigenous defence industry. The Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) has been entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating and implementing the programme. The event brought out that the end objective of ‘Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti’ is to inculcate IP culture in Indian defence manufacturing ecosystem.
22-Aug-2018: Quad countries discuss ocean security
The Quad grouping is one of the many avenues for interaction among India, Australia, Japan and the US and should not be seen in an exclusive context.
“We should not really regard Quad in any competitive or in an exclusive context. This four-country meeting is an important modality. There are various modalities where India, Australia, Japan and the US interact, including on a bilateral and trilateral basis. Hideki Asari, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Japan, said this at the launch of a report on the policy recommendations on Indian Ocean security by four think tanks from the Quad countries at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF).
The other think tanks which include Australia National University, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan and Sasakawa Peace Foundation, USA, along with VIF formed the Quadripartite Commission on Indian Ocean Regional Security, which put out a series of 20 policy recommendations for stability in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
The report calls for maintaining the momentum of high-level consultations among the Quad countries with the aim of “free and open Info-Pacific region” and progressively move it to a political level.
In this regard, Mr. Asari said that Japan’s Indo-Pacific policy by definition is open and inclusive, and added, “All four countries have used the word inclusive and so all are in agreement of the inclusiveness of the Indo-Pacific.”
Australia, Japan, India and the US should work with countries in the IOR to help maintain independent security and economic policies by supporting high-quality alternatives to unilateral Chinese investments and political alignment with Chinese regional objectives.
Another recommendation is that the four countries should work to oppose “the establishment of permanent Chinese military bases” in the IOR. This should include demonstrating to China that its security needs can be met “through cooperation and consultation with other nations” and without the recourse to a “disruptive unilateral military presence.”
Calling the four countries to enhance sea land defence capabilities, the report stresses that naval fleets should evolve increasingly long range operations. “This may require consideration in Japan of new options such as nuclear propulsion for its submarines”.
In 2017, on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Manila, the Quad countries held discussions on reviving the decade-old grouping which is seen by China as an attempt to contain it.