Blue Economy Gaining Prominence With Rising Seabound Trade, Says ENC Chief
Indo-Pacific region, with its strategic importance, requires India's presence to maintain peace and stability, says Vice Admiral Pendharkar
Navy Day rehearsal being conducted at Puri Beach Road in Odisha
Visakhapatnam: With significant increase in seabound trade, the importance of the Blue Economy component is growing, according to Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command (ENC).
He was speaking to the media at ENC Officers' Mess, INS Circars here on Monday in connection with Navy Day being observed on December 4 which marks the anniversary of Operation Trident, a critical naval offensive during 1971 Indo-Pak War.
He said India is witnessing rapid infrastructure development along the coast under the Sagarmala Project.
In the last 10 years, there has been capacity augmentation by over 65 per cent across all major ports, leading to an impressive 87 per cent rise in their cargo handling capacity.
"As India grows, these numbers will only increase. Further, as resources on land deplete, the Blue Economy component that aims to sustainably harness offshore resources, will gain prominence," he said.
From a slightly different perspective, he observed that "India’s geostrategic position in the Indian Ocean puts us at the convergence of the world’s most dynamic economies along the Indo-Pacific and African coastlines. The Indo-Pacific region is home to 65 per cent of the world’s population, generates 62 per cent of the world’s GDP, and accounts for close to 60 per cent of the global trade. Nine of the 10 busiest ports, and seven of the top 10 export destinations in the world, are in the Indo-Pacific." Considering all these factors, keeping the waters in the Indian Ocean ‘free, open and safe' for economic activity, is a national priority; and the Indian Navy, as the manifestation of the country's maritime military power, has the onerous responsibility of maintaining stability in the region, and safeguarding these waters that, above all, are critical to India’s security and economic prosperity, the chief of ENC pointed out.
Vice Admiral Pendharkar said since its inception as a small outpost in 1968, ENC, which has its headquarters in Visakhapatnam, has indeed come a long way and has progressively grown with bases now distributed along the East Coast, adequately covering a coastline that stretches 2,562 kms.
ENC's ‘Area of Responsibility’ extends from the East Coast of India to the Western Pacific, and up to the edge of the Southern Indian Ocean.
