Executive in Action: Sandeep Chandra, National Shipping Board of India

“Whoever rules the waves rules the world.” Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan’s famous dictum has become the catch-cry of Indian politician Sandeep Chandra, a member of India’s National Shipping Board’s core committee for over two years. The board is the highest maritime policy-making body in the country with power to oversee all matters relating to shipping and ports.

The board has 16 core members in addition to special invitees from the navy and coast guard as required. Chandra is generally perceived to be the country’s leading decision-maker on maritime affairs. “My vision is that India should now become a maritime superpower,” says Chandra. He recalls that Aryavartha (the Sanskrit name for India) was one of the maritime powers of the ancient world from the time of the Indus Valley civilizations (3300–1300 BC) and that the word “navigation” originated from the Sanskrit word “navagath.”

Today, around 90 percent of all cargo arrives via the sea, and the Indian maritime industry is expected to be handling three billion tons of cargo a year by 2020. Chandra is preparing the country, already a regional superpower, to deal with this anticipated growth by putting the people and infrastructure in place to support his vision.

An Indian Maritime Service?

Young Indians, keen to see the world and learn new things, are part of his plan to make India the world’s main supplier of trained manpower. Chandra encourages youth from fishing communities, urban and rural areas to take up careers in the merchant marine. He is particularly passionate about the country’s fishing communities after travelling much of the country’s coastline in his political role, and he has been working to improve their standard of living.

“India has a huge coastline, and we have a fishing community that is born on a boat and dies on a boat. I want them to be brought into the mainstream,” says Chandra, who is keen to recognize their rich experience as suitable for the merchant fleet even if their education and English skills are currently lacking. Unofficially, fishermen do already work on merchant vessels at times although it is not currently permitted by law.

An Indian Maritime Service is expected to be set up within the next two years to develop management expertise in the industry. Some port leaders currently involved in maritime planning do not have a strong marine background, and Chandra is anxious to build up expertise and encourage development and promotion within a dedicated service that manages the industry’s development.

India currently has three port investment arrangements: Major ports, which are government-owned; private ports; and ports developed under public-private partnerships. The country has already attracted big players with the private option, says Chandra, and two new major ports have been sanctioned, one in West Bengal and one in Andhra Pradesh. He believes the proposed Indian Maritime Service will help government-run ports remain competitive without directly competing with privately owned ports and foresees a time when equal port tariffs will be introduced.

Along with port development, special economic zones are being established to boost local involvement in trade, shipbuilding and other industries that could benefit from port access. Some tax concessions are expected to be introduced as additional incentive.

The government may also be open to relaxing cabotage rules in some cases. “It should be fair,” says Chandra. “If some country is allowing us relaxations or doing us some kind of discount, we’ll do likewise. What I believe in is a level playing field as far as cabotage is concerned.”

Offshore resources are of critical interest, and Chandra believes all maritime nations should get together to discuss the topic: “Unlike roads or air, there are no marked boundaries, and there are some grey areas where there are boundary disputes. This should be solved in a mutual give-and-take way where nobody suffers because actually the oceans belong to everybody.” – MarEx