Union Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will on Thursday inaugurate the first ever 'BIMSTEC Ports' Conclave.
The Ports' First Conclave of BIMSTEC nations is expected to explore the possibility of increasing economic cooperation by furthering EXIM trade and coastal shipping, the Shipping Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organization involving a group of countries in the South Asia and South East Asia namely, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.
The conclave will also discuss various investment opportunities, best practices adopted for productivity and safety at ports.
Senior officials from the ports sector of all seven nations as well as from the trade and various shipping associations will be participating in the two-day conclave.
On Friday, Mandaviya will also participate in a beach cleaning drive in Vishakhapatnam along with the BIMSTEC participants, local students and port employees, among others.