Syllabus: GS2/IR
Context
- The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) inaugurated the second edition of BIMSTEC Ports Conclave.
About Ports Conclave
- The two-day BIMSTEC Ports Conclave was held under the auspices of the Visakhapatnam Port Authority.
- Theme: Blue Economy, Innovation and Sustainable Partnerships.
- Representatives of ministries from port authorities of BIMSTEC member nations of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand participated in it.
- Aim: To operationalise the recently signed BIMSTEC Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation (AMTC), facilitate dialogue on port-led development, and foster deeper integration in maritime trade, logistics, cruise tourism, and skill development.
- BIMSTEC Sustainable Maritime Transport Centre is going to be established under the Indian Ocean Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Maritime Transport (IOCE-SMarT) at Mumbai.
| About BIMSTEC – It is a regional cooperation organization formed in 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration. 1. It unites South and Southeast Asian nations bordering the Bay of Bengal. – Founding Members (1997): Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand. – Current Members: It comprises seven member states, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. – Objective: To help countries in their economic growth, to support social development, and to encourage development in other areas, like science, technology and economic development. |
Significance of BIMSTEC Ports Conclave for India
- Advancing Maritime Connectivity and Trade Efficiency: The conclave emphasized the operationalization of the BIMSTEC Coastal Shipping and Maritime Transport Agreements, which is vital for India’s ambitions to become a regional maritime logistics hub.
- Strengthening India’s ‘Act East’ and ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policies: By engaging BIMSTEC countries the conclave reinforces India’s ‘Act East’ policy, which seeks deeper ties with Southeast Asia.
- Neighbourhood First policy, especially with Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, by improving their access to the sea through Indian ports.
- Operationalizing the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project: The conclave showcased India’s flagship Kaladan project, which connects Kolkata Port → Sittwe Port (Myanmar) → Inland waterway to Paletwa → Road to Mizoram.
- This corridor is a model for multi-modal regional connectivity and vital in improving access to its northeastern states.
- Enhancing India’s Leadership in Regional Maritime Architecture: India used the conclave to project itself as a maritime leader in South and Southeast Asia by hosting the conclave in Visakhapatnam, a strategically located eastern port.
- Promoting the Blue Economy and Sustainable Development: The conclave promoted sustainable maritime practices, this aligns with India’s Blue Economy Policy Framework, which seeks to balance economic growth with ocean ecosystem protection.
Challenges
- Uneven Infrastructure Across BIMSTEC Countries: While India has made substantial investments in port modernization, many BIMSTEC members lack comparable port or transport infrastructure.
- This infrastructure asymmetry makes it difficult to operationalize seamless port-to-port connectivity and multimodal transport corridors.
- Institutional and Regulatory Divergences: Differing customs regulations, maritime safety standards, and documentation requirements across member countries create operational bottlenecks.
- Delays in Ratification and Implementation of Agreements: Although India has ratified the BIMSTEC Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation, several other member states are yet to do so.
- This leads to sluggish progress in transforming agreements into actionable frameworks and corridor-level coordination.
- Geopolitical Competition in the Bay of Bengal: Rising influence of China through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in BIMSTEC countries challenges India’s maritime leadership.
- Financial and Capacity Constraints: Despite India’s commitments, limited financial resources and human capital in smaller BIMSTEC countries restrict large-scale participation in port development or digital upgrades.
Way Ahead
- While the BIMSTEC Ports Conclave has opened up vast opportunities for India to become the maritime centre of the Bay of Bengal, several challenges — infrastructural, institutional, geopolitical, and logistical — must be addressed.
- A coordinated push involving capacity building, diplomatic engagement, infrastructure financing, and security cooperation is necessary to translate vision into outcomes.
Source: TH
