The 2023 Global Maritime India Summit saw a large contingent participate from the state of Andhra Pradesh where a dedicated session was also held on the state’s maritime domain.
The delegation was aptly led by Mr. G. Amarnath, Minister of Industries, Infrastructure, Investment & Commerce, Information Technology, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh wherein he highlighted the various initiatives in the maritime sector of Andhra Pradesh, a region he said has emerged as a beacon of progress, innovation, and sustainability in the maritime domain.
“Our commitment to maritime progress goes beyond infrastructure development. We envision a port-led development strategy, positioning Andhra Pradesh as a gateway to economic prosperity through trade by leveraging our coastal assets.
We have spearheaded impactful initiatives aimed at fortifying the maritime industry’s foundation. Privatization of ports and services has resulted in a surge in infrastructure enhancement, investments, and overall industry growth.
More than half of the cargo at major ports is now handled through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) investments” said the Industries minister addressing the gathering.
The minister also spoke on ‘Centre of Excellence in Maritime & Shipbuilding’ established in the state and shared, “This center plays a pivotal role in nurturing expertise and innovation in this critical industry.
Through this center, we wish to drive technological advancements, support workforce training, and bolsters the nation’s maritime capabilities”.
Similarly, Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board, CEO Mr Pravin Kumar highlighted AP’s No 1 ranking in EoDB rankings and the investor friendly atmosphere coupled with abundant land bank in the state. ‘Our single window portal facilitates more than 90 regulatory clearances in just 21 days’ cited Mr Pravin Kumar.
He further identified Andhra Pradesh as a key export state in the country. ‘About 10.97% of India’s total exports came from AP’ said Mr Pravin Kumar.
Speaking on the state’s ports and maritime sector the CEO APMB informed that 320 MTPA is the present existing Capacity of all the functional ports in AP while another 110 MTPA of capacity will be added with the commissioning of the new upcoming ports.
Lt Cdr Ravindranath Reddy (Retd.), Dy CEO, Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board reiterated AP’s geographical advantage of having a long and vast coastline.
He appealed to the investors present to come and invest in the state. ‘We need to exploit the long coastline as this is an asset we have’ said the deputy CEO.
Mr. S V K Reddy, CEO, Andhra Pradesh Inland Waterways Authority, Mr. Auszad Shaik, CGM- BD & PPP, Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board, Mr. Muralidhar, COO, Kakinada Seaports Ltd. along with others also attended the session.
