Ads to project India as shipping hub

The shipping ministry will soon launch a marketing blitzkrieg to project India as a unique maritime hub in the Asia-Pacific region and Indian seafarers as a prized catch for global shipping flags.

Indian pavilions will adorn international fairs in Posidonia, Greece and Nor Shipping, Norway, and road shows will be organised in countries with large fleet.

Delegations, including ambassadors and high commissioners from these countries, will be hosted in India to showcase the training infrastructure and capabilities of seafarers.

Officials said the ministry had already booked two domain names -- IndianSeafarer.com and SeafarersFromIndia.com -- and a website would be launched by April. It also plans CDs for presentation to global shipowners and in other international fora.

An Indian seafarers' promotion council will also be put in place, which will be represented by the government and industry.

The maritime states will be expected to actively contribute to the council and also promote maritime education and training.

The ministry is in the process of identifying markets and sending out interviews and questionnaires to global shipowners, managers and Indian employers.

While for the latter, the data is in the final stage of compilation, raw data is still being collected for international markets.

According to latest BIMCOISF manpower update, there will be a massive shortage of qualified officers in the world shortly. The survey suggests a shortfall of 23,000 officers by next year, which is expected to double by 2010.

The advertising initiative will make Indian seafarers and the country's training capabilities more visible in the international arena.

The ministry also believes India has been losing out to countries like China and Philippines because of their better marketing strategies.

Officials said such publicity would bring about international recognition of maritime intelligence, thus opening up areas of maritime consultancy, ocean engineering and marine R&D.

Greater employment of seafarers abroad would also increase the amount of foreign exchange remittances, they said.