The Hindu Business Line : Navigation congress sets up regional groups

Kochi April 16 As many as 95 delegates representing 24 countries have gathered here to participate in the 4-day Annual General Assembly of Permanent International Association for Navigation Congress (PIANC) that commenced at Le Meridien on Monday. This is for the first time that the Annual General Assembly of PIANC is held in India.

Addressing a press meet here on Monday, Mr Van den Eric, President of PIANC, said the Association has initiated steps for its promotion in parts of the world where it is less represented. For this purpose, regional groups were set up in South and Central Asia and East Europe and its objective is to achieve transfer of technology to countries in transition and to promote new national sections.

PIANC is also focussing on increasing involvement of young professionals (YPs) in the activities of the Association at both the national and international level and the existing task group of YPs was upgraded in 2006 to YP Commission.

It has also put forward a proposal in the agenda of the forthcoming Kochi Annual General Assembly for the creation of a Promotion Commission (ProCom) in order to better promote and market PIANC, Mr Eric said.

PIANC, he said, also took the lead in setting up River Information Services in European Union for the promotion of inland waterways on account of the saturation of roads there. The expert group on inland navigation within the PIANC is of the view that natural resources has to be utilised optimally in view of the ever increasing demand for transport by inland navigation, he added.

Mr Thomas H. Wakeman, Programme Manager, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said that Kochi needed to utilise its potential, especially the location advantages, fully in the maritime activities, as India is fast growing as a major country in the global maritime route.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr R.K. Jain, Managing Director, Indian Ports Association and Vice-President, of PIANC said countries in transition especially India could take lot of advantages of PIANC in its expertise in the wake of National Maritime Development Programme adopted by the Government for the development of port sector.

The port sector in the country, he said, is on the threshold of a quantum jump in terms of traffic and it is relevant that these sort of international conferences would help to achieve the desired results, he added.