The Indian Ministry of Shipping signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with IIT Kharagpur for establishing the Centre for Inland and Coastal Maritime Technology (CICMT) at IIT Kharagpur.
Commenting on the occasion, Shri Mandaviya, noted that:
Indigenous technology is the need of the hour for the maritime sector, and we are determined to promote Make- In- India as per the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
Describing the centre which is being created under the flagship Sagarmala Programme, Shri Mandaviya said that it is of strategic long-term interest for the port and maritime sector of the country and will provide significant impetus to inland water transportation and coastal shipping.
He also added that the centre will be a hub for latest technology tools for maritime sector and will reduce India’s dependence on foreign institutions. It will also decrease the cost of research drastically and result in cost and time savings for work in the port and maritime sector.
As of today, there is no testing and experimentation facility available in India for inland and coastal vessels. For this reason, shipbuilders have to approach several European countries.
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The project, costing a total of Rs 69.20 crore, is being funded under the Sagarmala programme. The funding for CICMT is for 5 years after which revenues provided from the end users will make it sustainable.
CICMT at IIT Kharagpur will provide technological support, research, testing and experimentation facility to agencies involved in inland water transport, shipbuilding, and ports.
In addition, the Centre will focus on ship design for coastal/inland waterways, shipbuilding technology and structural design, transport systems & logistics, cryogenic cargo handling, green/renewable energy harvesting from coastal and inland waters and automation and artificial intelligence (AI) for maritime operations.
CICMT is considered as a major leap in indigenous innovation and new technology to support the port and maritime sector, in order to directly contribute to the Sagarmala programme. The project is based on close cooperation amongst government, academic institutions and industry to make applied research relevant to day to day ground work in the port and maritime sector.
