NEW DELHI : The Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) has constituted a high-level task force to oversee the establishment of the Indian Maritime Centre (IMC), in a bid to build global credibility for the Indian maritime sector. The main objective of the task force is to provide policy direction for the formation of IMC for smooth and sustainable operationalisation, the Ministry said in an office memorandum.

The task force has been constituted under the chairmanship of Additional Secretary MoPSW, with representation from the domestic maritime ecosystem.

This would help in formation of advisory groups on key topics involving member representatives and independent experts.

The funding and secretariat support of setting up of IMC will be provided by the Indian Ports Association (IPA).

According to the office memorandum, IMC Secretariat shall be built as a world-class facility, including equipped conference area, meeting rooms.

The broad terms of reference of the task force will include — deliberate upon functioning, scope and best structure of the Indian Maritime Centre (IMC) as well as its membership/ constitution and standard operating procedures (SOPs), decide the by-laws and internal procedures for IMC, including role of expert committees.

India represents one of the largest and complex maritime industries and the country needs a unified approach to maritime policy across different sub-sectors.

Countries like South Korea and Japan have a unified approach to maritime policy across different sub-sectors.