10-yr maritime devt plan in a month: Shipping Ministry

The government would come up with a new 10-year plan to boost the country's maritime sector.

"The action plan will be released in a month. It will replace the National Maritime Development Programme, whose validity is till 2012," Shipping Secretary K Mohandas said here today.

The plan would specify the number of new ports to be built under the public-private-partnership (PPP) mode, Mohandas said.

"We will be awarding 25 ports under PPP this year, but our overall plan is much bigger than this which would be detailed in the action plan," he said.

He also said that though the shipping ministry is supportive of the demand of local ship owners to partially reserve handling of crude oil imports by public sector oil companies, but discriminating against foreign ships might push up costs.

"While it is desirable that in strategic areas like oil we have national flag carrying ships, there are concerns that this may increase cost to the economy," he said.

The Indian National Shipowners' Association recently sought first-right-of-refusal to carry crude imported by PSUs.

Asked about the proposed deep sea port at Sagar in West Bengal, Mohandas said the Kolkata Port Trust is working on a feasibility report which would be completed in 3-4 months.