UK ready to offer maritime assistance

Kolkata: The UK has the experience and knowledge to be able to offer a wide range of services to the Indian ports sector and this has encouraged the UK Government to identify India as one of its priority markets, according to Mr John Owens, the leader of the visiting UK Ports Mission.

Addressing a meeting on `UK-India Partners in Port & Maritime Development' here on Monday, Mr Owens said Ports & Terminals Group, part of the Society of Maritime Industries, the main trade association for the maritime sector in the UK, which was organising the present mission in close co-operation with UK Trade & Investment, a Government department, had organised its first mission to India in 1997, followed by several missions in 1998, 2001 and 2004.

'You will agree we're nothing if not persistent,' he observed. The earlier missions had skipped Kolkata which had been included for the first time now as the British companies, which were involved in a wide range of port-related activities, were keen to make new contacts and explore new opportunities in eastern region.

The objective of the present mission was to meet leading representatives of the Indian port sector, both private and public, to showcase what the UK could offer and to be updated on India's port development programmes.

'Our members have an interest in the whole range of ports and terminals covering facilities for handling containers, bulk cargoes, general cargo, gas and RO-RO terminals and passenger terminals and port security and these can be either green-field minor port developments or projects within existing major ports,' Mr Owens said.

Dr A.K. Chanda, Chairman of Kolkata Port Trust, saidareas such as construction of jetties, dredging, both maintenance and capital, supply of cargo handling equipment and also river tourism and coastal tourism in which the opportunities for co-operation could be explored.

Mr S.K. Mondal, Director of Planning & Research, Kolkata Port Trust, gave a general overview of Kolkata port, Mr Gordon Rankine of Beckett Rankine Partnerhips on planning ports with the private sector, Mr Richard Butcher of Cambrige Academy of Transport on impact of large container ships on port and terminal infrastructure, Mr Guy Wilkes of Nectar Group on bulk handling-bagging of commodities in the logistics chain, Capt Reg Holder of Holder Martine Services on oil and gas ports and marine opportunities in India, Mr Ben Soames of Hart Security on maritime supply chain security and Mr Andrew McClumpha of British Maritime Technology on maritime security issues.