AHMEDABAD : To enhance sustainability in ports and port led development in Gujarat, GMB is organizing a seminar during Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit 2013 at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar.
The main focus of the seminar is to promote sustainable development initiatives on safety, security, efficiency of maritime activities, enhance marine environment protection, promote sustainable livelihood opportunities, development of maritime clusters as well as identify manpower requirement for specialized maritime services.
Established in 1982, Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) had in its first year of inception handled 3.18 MMT of cargo, which now stands at 259 MMT in 2011-12. The port capacity has also seen a steep rise during the same time and has now reached 323 MMT during the last FY. It is pertinent to mention that GMB ports have added additional capacity of about 80 MMT during the last two years.
Gujarat's non-major ports handled about 28% of national sea-borne cargo and about 70% of cargo collectively handled by all non-major ports of the country. Over the years, GMB ports have gradually shifted focus from the conventional cargo to specialized cargo operations and have created specialized port facilities on the coastline.
Specialized Container terminals, LNG terminals, dry bulk and liquid bulk cargo terminals, car terminals, Ro-Pax terminals comparable with the best in the world are in Gujarat. These ports can handle not just larger vessels but is also equipped with facilities for handling of Over Dimensional Cargo (ODC).
The activities of GMB encompass not just cargo handling. Gujarat, in fact is the only state to have ship building as well as recycling facilities. Gujarat contributes to 60% of total shipbuilding industry of India. 10 shipyards are already operational and 8 more are under various stages of implementation. With the largest ship-recycling yard in Asia at Alang, Gujarat has recycled a record number of 415 ships and has handled the highest steel quantity of 4 million LDT in 2011-12 alone.
As per Maritime Agenda 2020 brought out by the Government of India, for the year 2020, the projected capacity and traffic for all ports are 3130 million and 2495 million tons respectively. Going by the figures provided in the Maritime Agenda, the projected capacity of GMB ports is likely to increase from existing about 40% to 60% of the country's major ports capacity by 2020.
The CEO of Port of Antwerp International and the CEO of Israel Port Company would be some of the many speakers from different background and countries deliberating on key issues affecting the port sector.
A mega-scale trade show called Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show 2013 is being organized concurrently with the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2013. The pavilion of GMB has a theme of double stack containers showcasing various feats of Gujarat port sector as well as maritime history. The GMB pavilion would showcase prototype of RO-PAX Ferry and a live model of double stack container trains.
