The country’s shipping industry has demanded integration of coastal shipping operations through a common logistics system.
At a workshop on ‘The Indian Coastal shipping: The opportunities towards economical logistics’, organised by CII Institute of Logistics in Chennai yesterday, the shipping companies also sought infrastructure status for coastal shipping.
“This will help the industry get tax exemptions and attract investments, said Sudhir S Rangnekar, managing director and group CEO, Sical Logistics.
He noted that the government had invested 51 per cent of the total infrastructure resources in the railways and around 32 per cent in the roadways, compared with only around 5 per cent in shipping. The figure for coastal shipping is 1 per cent. “Coastal shipping is being neglected,” he said.
Coastal shipping is the most energy-efficient form of transport and will be the cheapest mode for transporting bulk traffic over long distances, said PVK Mohan, member of the National Shipping Board.
The industry also called for easing the cabotage laws provided the Indian shipping lines are given a level playing field by way of exemption on fuel and spares. “There is 30 per cent duty on fuels and 39 per cent on spares for Indian shipping lines in coastal trade. The government should reduce the number of rules and regulations,” said Rangnekar.
