InmexSMM 2019

India plans to develop the cruise tourism, port industry…

India-Bangladesh two way cruise to start on November 1….

’Over 260 Exhibitors and Co-Exhibitors from the Shipping & Maritime Industry with State-of-the-art brands participate at INMEX SMM India 2019

The 11^th Edition of INMEX SMM organised by Informa markets India kick started at Bombay exhibition center with over 260 exhibitors participating in the three day exhibition. The scaled up 2019 edition of the INMEX SMM India Expo bring buyers and manufacturers from across the globe to conduct business and be a coveted conglomeration of global industry leaders, key decision makers, government agencies and key trade associations, to network, explore new business opportunities and unveil services and products.

The INMEX SMM was inaugurated by Sabyasachi Hajara, Retd CMD, Shipping Corporation of India (Chairman, Inmex SMM 2019 Advisory Board), Simon Bennett, Deputy Secretary General, International Chamber of Shipping, Michael Duck, Executive Vice President -Asia, Informa Markets, Pravir Pandey, Vice Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India, Rear Admiral K G Vishwanathan, Flag Officer Doctrines and Concepts, Indian Navy, Kailash Kumar Aggarwal, Jt Secretary, Sagarmala, Ministry of Shipping, Sanjay Bhatia, Chairman, Mumbai Port Trust, Chairman, Indian Ports Association and  Yogesh Mudras, managing Director, for Informa Markets, and Mr Abhijit Mukherjee, Group Director, Informa Markets in India amongst an august gathering..

The dignitaries at the conference spoke on various ways to boost the Shipping and Maritime industry through enhancing the port industry, cruise tourism, green ports etc. The Sagarmala project, water tourism in Maharashtra and other ports, cruise line between India and Bangladesh etc were spoken at large.     

Speaking on water tourism Pravir Pandey, Vice Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India said,“ There is a agreement signed between Government of India and Government of Bangladesh. The two way cruise had travelled in March and carried tourist. From November 1, the regular two way cruise will be started.”

Other then these, there are six international level cruise vessels that are moving between Kolkata and Banaras, these are very high end vessels that are booked two years in advance. There are cruise vessels that are also travelling between Kolkata to various locations from the Ganges river such as Murshidabad, Sultangunj. These cruise operators have tied up with the local cruise operators. These vessels bank at floating jetties, the tourist get down at the spot and spend entire day in local area. The same thing is taking place in Brahmaputra, the Famous Pandav cruise from Myanmar that were operated from Karavadi are shifted to Ganges.

 Sanjay Bhatia, Chairman, Mumbai Port Trust, Chairman, Indian Ports Association added, “For the sea cruise, port Bandar is coming up, Dwarka is also being lined up In Maharashtra. The cruise which are operating from Mumbai to Goa, also planned to go to the Ganpatipule. We are developing the Kanhoji Angrea Ireland for the same.”

Alongside the international exhibition, the expertly curated INMEX SMM India conference provides industry insights into the most complex issues, topics and trends of the sector in a bid to provide a well-rounded understanding of the Maritime and Shipping sector in India. The sessions include topics such as ‘India’s Maritime Leadership’; ‘The Maritime World of Tomorrow - Preparedness for Industry 4.0 and Preparing people for the smart shipping era’; ‘Women in Maritime’; ‘India’s Marine highways – ‘What is Driving Growth Today? A Spot Light on Sagarmala.’

 Kailash Kumar Aggarwal, Jt Secretary, Sagarmala, Ministry of Shipping  -  who  heads the  Sagar Mala project said, “The project is all about identifying the inventions to promote the port industry. Around 600 odd projects are identified to enhance the productivity of the ports, enhance the capacity of the ports, modernize the ports, and increase the connectivity of the ports. The project is also to develop the industries near big ports. It is also to get us to the improvement of the communities that are staying near the ports, providing training to the communities for the schemes related to the port sector. The project also include technological development of the port sector, so in combustive, all these projects are been identified to be taken out under the various sub heads, and there will be attention to the focus attention to implementation of these projects.”

The exhibition also focused on ‘Indian ports and their preparedness for cruise tourism’ amongst others. The expo also had a conference dedicated to the port infrastructure development that addressed topics such as ‘Making Ports a Partner in Business Development’; ‘Port Dynamics in the 21st Century’; ‘Digital Transformation and Modernisation of Ports’ and ‘India’s Marine Highways -What is Driving Growth ‘. A B2B Buyers Programme facilitated specialised meetings between exhibitors and buyers.

While talking on the Port industry Sanjay Bhatia, Chairman, Mumbai Port Trust, Chairman, Indian Ports Association said, “In the whole world there are five companies, out of that at least three have started home porting in Mumbai. In 2017-18 we have 40 ships calling, in 2018-19 we have 106 ships that came and in this season 2019-20, we have 206 ships that are coming. So, we are growing from primary to secondary stage very soon. I have actually revealed about only one port, there will be five ports joined together. We have reserved one berth for it, I have already put a second berth for this purpose, we may need to put a third berth, from this season onwards, on a particular day I may have 4 crore ships together, like Miami. With five ports joined, this will be a new business coming in.”

He added, “International Cruise terminal like airport will be completed by June 2020. The domestic one we have already completed. We had launch the Mumbai to Goa Cruise ship then. One kilometer water front which we are developing right now will be completed by next two months. The bigger projects like 11 kilometer water front and all, it is at the conceptual and planning stage.”

Speaking on the INMEX SMM India Show 2019, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, for Informa Markets in India said, “As the world's population continues to grow, low-cost and efficient maritime transport has an essential role to play in growth and sustainable development of the country.  The Indian shipping industry plays a vital role in sustaining growth in the country’s trade and commerce. On an average, 95 per cent of India's trading by volume and 70 per cent by value is done through maritime transport. With  India being the sixteenth largest maritime country in the world, with a coastline of about 7,517 km, we believe this sector has a huge potential to be one of the major engines bringing in a Maritime Revolution. Backed by immense reach and expertise in the Indian market, Informa Markets in India and  Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH are proud to have the shipping and maritime sector in the comprehensive list of industries we cater to.”

“The Centre has  also conferred infrastructure status to shipyards a couple of years ago and launched a slew of initiatives like the comprehensive Sagarmala project, the Major Ports Bill that will provide greater autonomy to Port Boards, the Maritime Agenda 2020 that looks to expanding India's port capacity to 3,130 MT and the environmentally conducive 'Project Green Ports'. These will no doubt fast track and sustain growth in the Shipping and Maritime domain.” he further added.