The Hindu Business Line : All for a maritime constituency!

A little known private exhibition company took the lead to promote an apex maritime organisation called a Confederation of Indian Maritime Associations.

N.K. Kurup

Mumbai, July 16

A few days ago, on a Friday evening, the President of Indian National Shipowners Association (INSA) called an emergency meeting of its core committee. The matter was urgent. The committee had to finalise a ‘hijacking’ operation within the next two days.

A little known private exhibition company took the lead to promote an apex maritime organisation called a Confederation of Indian Maritime Associations. INSA was jolted by the kind of initial support it could muster from various organisations.

The Bangalore-based trade fair company also managed to rope in a couple of retired bureaucrats, who held key posts in the maritime administration, to work for the proposed confederation.

The process of forming the apex body was at a fairly advanced stage and a draft constitution was to be adopted at a meeting of the potential members of the federation in the next two days.

INSA was in a dilemma. Initially, it decided to stay away from the proposed organisation as it was not sure of the promoter’s intentions; the association felt that the private firm was trying to cash in on a noble idea rather than taking up a national cause.

When it saw the way the idea was taking shape, the shipowners felt that it would not be in their long-term interest to be out of an industry level federation. But being a national association, INSA felt it below its status to be just an ordinary member of an umbrella organisation.

So the option was to become its main promoter. And the best way to do it was to hijack the (proposed) confederation from its present promoter. And INSA had just two days to decide its course of action.

INSA also felt somewhat guilty as Mr D.T. Joseph who conceived the idea of an apex organisation — a maritime constituency — when he was the Director-General of Shipping five years ago, has been appealing to shipowners to take it up.

Mr Joseph’s idea was to make merchant shipping and allied activities more popular. His common refrain has been that “the Navy is known to everyone but the merchant navy does not have the same popular image”.

He thought a boost to the image of India’s merchant navy could help resolve many of its problems and eventually achieve better utilisation of the country’s maritime potential.

INSA apparently won half the battle. It is learnt that, the association has managed to get some of the leading organisations such as Indian Ports Association, Indian Shipbuilders Associations and Association of Multimodal Transport Operators of India on its side.

What’s more, INSA is also trying to get Mr D.T. Joseph, who retired as Shipping Secretary, two years ago, himself to head to the organisation.

Though the actual hijacking is yet to take place, INSA has done all the groundwork. It is preparing for the final act at the next meeting of proposed maritime organisation on July 31.