Latest news with #GujaratMaritimeBoard
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
154 scrapped fishing boats were fraudulently registered as new
Rajkot: Devbhumi Dwarka police have so far found that 154 scrapped fishing boats were illegally re-registered using forged documents. As part of their investigation, police arrested two key suspects from Bhavnagar, including a retired Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) official, for their alleged role in forging invoices used in the scam. With these, the number of arrests in this case has risen to 56. The probe found that since 2022, fishermen looking to get loans — using boats as collateral — and govt fuel subsidies, were illegally taking scrapped boats back into operation by presenting them as new vessels. These de-registered boats were shown as new using forged documents. The scam involved fishermen, agents and forgers, operating mainly out of Okha in Devbhumi Dwarka district and Bhavnagar. The registration of a new boat requires a purchase invoice for the boat, an engine purchase bill, a photograph of the fisherman with the boat showing its name and number, and a notarized affidavit. These documents were fabricated by agents in Okha, who then uploaded them onto the fisheries department portal. "The fishing agents in Okha were running the scam in cahoots with Bhavnagar-based firms Varni Corporation, Hanumanta Enterprise, Shiv Global Marine and Eram Enterprise," said Nitesh Pandey, superintendent of police, Devbhumi Dwarka district. These firms existed only on paper and were used to generate forged invoices and e-way bills, which were essential for the online registration of boats. Agents in Okha would send the details of scrapped boats to these firms, which in turn provided fake GST bills for new boat purchases, forged e-way bills (used by tax authorities for goods transport) and engine purchase bills. These documents were then used to register the boat online as a new purchase. Police arrested two persons from Bhavnagar: Tarun Rajpura (68), a retired office superintendent of the GMB and Ajay Chudasama (27). Both were allegedly involved in preparing fraudulent invoices. Two more suspects from Bhavnagar are at large. Police have arrested four agents from Okha and 40 fishermen. In June 2025, the authorities uncovered the scam with the identification of 94 suspicious boat registrations. That number has now grown to 154 boats confirmed as being fraudulently registered. Sources said the scam extends beyond violations of the fisheries department rules and tax laws. The use of decommissioned boats in active fishing raises maritime safety issues and national security concerns, especially given the location of Dwarka and Porbandar, which have previously been linked to drug smuggling and other anti-national activities. "If boats with forged documents are operational, it becomes difficult for the authorities to track them. This creates a loophole that could be exploited for illegal landings and cross-border operations," an official said.
India Gazette
08-07-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Gujarat leverages its 2,340-km coastline to advance cruise tourism and unlock new economic opportunities
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], July 8 (ANI): Gujarat has become the first state in India to formally align with the Cruise Bharat Mission, marking a significant milestone in the country's push to develop a globally competitive cruise tourism ecosystem. As per an official release, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the state has taken a proactive role in shaping the national cruise agenda, leveraging its strategic 2,340-km coastline and navigable rivers like the Sabarmati and Narmada. In alignment with the national mission envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Gujarat Maritime Board organised a stakeholder consultation workshop on May 6 to chart out a Cruise Shipping Policy tailored to Gujarat's unique strengths and aspirations. The day-long workshop began with a welcome address by Capt. Banshiva Ladva, Chief Nautical Officer (HQ), Gujarat Maritime Board. The ceremonial lighting of the lamp formally opened the session, followed by a keynote address by Rajkumar Beniwal, IAS, Vice Chairman and CEO of GMB. He highlighted the state's growing maritime capabilities and underlined the economic opportunities presented by the emerging cruise tourism sector. Gujarat's roadmap was formally presented by Rajkumar Beniwal, who introduced the state's plans for world-class cruise terminals, supported by investment-friendly frameworks. Adding to this vision, Saidingpuii Chhakchhuak, IAS, Managing Director of Gujarat Tourism, laid out a strategy for developing 'cruise-ready' destinations and shore excursion circuits designed to enhance passenger experience. Krishnaraj R, IPS, again emphasised the need for efficient immigration processes, recommending the use of digital technologies to streamline tourist handling. As part of the Cruise Bharat Mission, Gujarat has proposed multiple potential cruise circuits along its western coast. These include key destinations such as Diu, Veraval, Porbandar, Dwarka, Jamnagar, Okha, and Padala Island, alongside the operational Ghogha-Hazira Ro-Pax service. The proposed routes have been divided into three clusters: Padala Island-Rann of Kutch Porbandar-Veraval-Diu Dwarka-Okha-Jamnagar Each cluster is designed with tourism logic, ensuring that key religious, natural, and cultural destinations are within a 100-kilometre radius, making shore excursions efficient and attractive for cruise passengers. (ANI)
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Gujarat govt mulls policy on cruise tourism, first draft likely to be submitted in a month
Aiming to boost coastal tourism in the state, the Gujarat government is in the process to frame its Cruise Shipping Policy aligned with the national Cruise Bharat Mission (CBM), sources in the government said on Tuesday. The first draft of the same is likely to be submitted to the government for further approval in one month's time, the sources said. As part of the process, the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) which is framing the policy had held a consultation workshop with concerned stakeholders in May based on which the first draft is being prepared while incorporating the suggestions made in the workshop. CBM was launched by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal on September 30, 2024. The Cruise Bharat Mission aims to make India a global cruise tourism hub within the next decade with a goal to increase sea cruise tourism tenfold by 2029. A top officer connected with the development said, 'GMB is framing the policy and various departments of the state government like Home, Tourism and Urban Development are also involved in it. The first draft of the policy is almost ready and it will be submitted to the government for approval in one month's time.' Sharing about the workshop details, sources said, 'The workshop was held to take inputs from multiple stakeholders. There has to be an eco-system then only these people will come. And it includes the port facility, tourist destinations, connectivity etc..' As part of the policy, the government has also proposed multiple potential cruise circuits along its western coast which includes destinations such as Diu, Veraval, Porbandar, Dwarka, Jamnagar, Okha, and Padala Island, alongside the operational Ghogha-Hazira Ro-Pax service. According to an official release, the proposed routes have been divided into three clusters, including Padala Island–Rann of Kutch, Porbandar–Veraval–Diu and Dwarka–Okha–Jamnagar. 'Each cluster is designed with tourism logic, ensuring that key religious, natural, and cultural destinations are within a 100-kilometre radius, making shore excursions efficient and attractive for cruise passengers,' the release stated. The release also stated that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat government has taken a proactive role in shaping the national cruise agenda, leveraging its strategic 2340-km coastline and navigable rivers like the Sabarmati and Narmada. 'While major ports like Mumbai, Cochin, Chennai, and Mormugao have made significant strides in cruise terminal development, Gujarat — despite having India's longest coastline — is yet to establish a dedicated cruise terminal. The recent workshop marks a turning point, as the state gears up to bridge this gap,' it added.
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Textile processors take lead for deep sea discharge project
Surat: The South Gujarat Textile Processors Association (SGTPA) is taking the lead in lobbying for the development of a 600 million litres a day (MLD) deep sea discharge pipeline. The textile processing and chemical industries have joined hands to push for expediting the project, so that it can boost industrial growth in the region. According to SGTPA officials, the Gujarat Maritime Board has given its no-objection certificate for the project. The state govt had earlier announced the project, and surveys were conducted for it. For smooth execution and the participation of various stakeholders, various industries operating in and around Surat have joined hands under the leadership of SGTPA. "The cost of this project may rise to Rs 5,000 crore. It will be located where connectivity can be given to the MITRA Park of Vansi Borsi in Navsari district. Once complete, the project will the open doors for further expansion of existing industries," said Jitu Vakharia, president of the SGTPA. The current total discharge of these industries is estimated to be 450 MLD currently. With future need in mind, a larger discharge pipeline is being planned. Through the pipeline, discharge from seven water treatment plants around Surat will be released. The pipeline project is expected to bring down water treatment cost as well. SGTPA officials say the discharge will be released deep in the sea, so it does not harm marine life. Earlier proposed locations of the pipeline were objected to, and its location was changed. "Of the project cost, 20% will be borne by industry and 80% by the govt. It will make possible industrial growth, which has been halted because the maximum capacity of water treatment plants has been reached," Vakharia said.
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First Post
24-05-2025
- Business
- First Post
How India's shipbreaking industry is ceding ground to its rivals
If Alang and its sister ports in Gujarat fail to modernise infrastructure, the upcoming surge in ship recycling will likely shift eastward to Bangladesh or westward to Pakistan and Turkey—resulting in a significant loss of both revenue and relevance read more In the salt-swept dusk of Gujarat's Saurashtra coast stands Alang, where the world's mightiest vessels came for their final farewell. Alang now waits. A decade ago, along the fourteen kilometres of beach, 415 behemoths of steel were cut, plate by plate, in 2011 alone. This year, owners say barely a hundred hulls will arrive. What was India's proud industrial frontier now rattles along at less than a fifth of its capacity. The scrap metal that once fed India's insatiable hunger for steel now drifts instead to the muddy flats of Chattogram in Bangladesh, in Karachi in Pakistan and, increasingly, to newer yards in Aliaga in Turkey. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Where 35,000 labourers poured in each dawn, perhaps 15,000 remain, many uncertain when the next ship will come. Shipbreaking's share in India's crude steel supply has slipped from 5 per cent to below 1 per cent, thinning a crucial layer of our circular economy. And yet Alang's decline is not inevitable; it is a pause – critical, yes, but decisively reversible. A World in Flux Global shipping has been bent out of its usual rhythm. 'Shadow fleets' necessitated by the sanctions on Russia and Iran keep geriatric tankers trading longer than economics once allowed. The Red Sea's Houthi turbulence has lengthened routes, handing even creaking vessels a fresh lease on profitability. With scrap supply tight, cash buyers scour beaches for the best price. Chattogram's brokers dangle 40-50 US dollars more per light-displacement tonne than India can currently match. Why? Because while Indian recyclers have cleared the high bar of green compliance, building modern yards that meet the standards of the Hong Kong Convention and even more applying for European Union Ship Recycling Regulation (EU-SRR) compliance, Bangladesh continues to rely on low-cost, low-tech beaching. There, ships are deliberately grounded during high tide and dismantled directly on the shore, allowing oil, sludge, and other effluents to wash away with the tide. The advantage is clear: lower compliance costs, cheaper labour, and minimal environmental enforcement. In effect, Bangladesh is leveraging regulatory arbitrage to offer $40–$50 more per light displacement tonne (LDT), drawing business away from India despite having fewer and less equipped yards. Governance Knots, Not Market Fate One long-standing issue at Alang has been the lack of uniform yard sizes, which has limited operational efficiency and made it harder to attract larger vessels. To address this, the Gujarat Maritime Board announced 28 new, standardised plots in 2022 as part of a modernisation push. Two years on, however, there's been little movement with no tenders, no timelines, and no visible progress. The plan remains stalled on paper, even as a wave of global recycling demand approaches. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Then there is the quieter but more damaging blockade in the Bureau of Indian Standards' own rulebook. Since 2012, BIS has withheld IS-1786 certification for reinforcement bars rolled from ship scrap, citing inconsistent chemical composition across global hulls. This, despite metallurgical studies led by the Ministry of Steel and industry consortia showing that the steel meets or exceeds all mechanical strength benchmarks. In the absence of certification, recyclers are forced to sell Cold Twisted Deformed (CTD) bars into the informal market, where they're used in low-end construction. As a result, they lose access to the more lucrative TMT (Fe550 and above) segment, cutting off a vital revenue stream that could otherwise finance further modernisation. Finally, hazardous waste processing limps. Alang's single licensed facility, run by Gujarat Enviro Protection & Infrastructure Ltd (GEPIL), is chronically oversubscribed. A proposal to double its capacity was lodged in 2021 and is still stalled amid procedural loops. For yards courting European clients, each week of delay means a possible lost contract and another ocean liner bowing on the shores of Bangladesh. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Intent on Paper, Urgency in the Wind It would be unfair to say the Union government is unaware of these challenges. Maritime India Vision 2030, spearheaded by Prime Minister Modi, explicitly aims to make India the world's leading ship recycling destination by the end of the decade. India already ranks second globally, and it played a key role in pushing the Hong Kong Convention across the finish line, with its ratification helping trigger the treaty's enforcement set for mid-2025. Senior officials in the Prime Minister's Office have reportedly engaged with industry stakeholders on Alang's bottlenecks, and both the shipping and steel ministries privately recognise the need for coordinated reform. The development of transitioning nations and their industries is rarely linear. It moves in bursts, often driven by political will. India now stands at the edge of one such inflection point. Between 2026 and 2035, analysts project that up to 15,000 ships will be retired, signalling a long-awaited recycling boom. But if Alang and its sister ports in Gujarat fail to modernise infrastructure, the upcoming surge in ship recycling will likely shift eastward to Bangladesh or westward to Pakistan and Turkey—resulting in a significant loss of both revenue and relevance. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Four Levers for a Fast Revival 1. Free the Steel The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) should permit ISI certification for ship-recycled steel based on the successful six-month trials already conducted. Allowing its use in formal construction would open access to the high-margin TMT segment, unlocking profits that can be reinvested into modernising yards and scaling capacity. 2. Expand Hazardous Waste Throughput The long-pending clearance for GEPIL's capacity expansion must be fast-tracked on the same priority footing as renewable energy projects. Without this, even compliant yards are stalled, losing valuable contracts due to documentation delays and insufficient waste-handling capacity. 3. Auction the 28 New Plots Despite the current global fall in ship supply, industry players are ready to invest in the 28 new plots announced in 2022. A transparent, time-bound auction would send a strong signal of intent and ensure India is ready before the recycling surge begins post-2026. 4. Build a National Recycling Grid Ports like Paradip, Tuticorin, and Haldia already have steel and petrochemical ecosystems in place. With modest investment, they can be developed to handle medium-scale ship recycling. This decentralisation reduces dependency on Alang, spreads economic benefits, and anchors shipbreaking in India's broader blue economy and job-creation strategy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A Story Bharat Wants to Hear Every 10,000-tonne vessel recycled in India saves roughly 15,000 tonnes of CO₂ compared to primary steel, employs 250 workers for six months, and recovers critical metals otherwise imported. Framed well, revival is a patriotic project: winning back cargoes that now beach in Karachi is a victory achieved not through gunfire but by efficiency and conscience. It strengthens New Delhi's claim to leadership at COP 30 and feeds Atmanirbhar Bharat's hunger for raw materials. The Horizon, Within Reach Walk Alang's tide line today and you still sense a latent energy: the hum of oxy-fuel torches, the careful ballet of cranes lifting thousand-tonne sections, the aroma of midday chai cut by sea salt. The men who perform this choreography need only certainty – of steel buyers, of waste infrastructure, and of government timelines kept rather than deferred. India has, at times, surprised the world (and itself) with the speed of its pivots – think of the UPI digital-payments network or the vaccine rollout. Shipbreaking, leaner in scale, demands far less public outlay, yet offers an outsized dividend in jobs, strategic metals, and global credibility. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, the window is narrow: perhaps two years before the surge in decommissioning peaks. But windows, once noticed, can be flung wide. A BIS notification here, a Cabinet Secretariat nudge there, and Saurashtra's coast can start humming again – this time cleaner, safer, and emblematic of a nation that converts intent into industry. Kanishq Agarwal is a strategy consultant who advises senior political leaders on campaigns, communication and policy. Aryaman Sharma (X: @AryamanBharat) is an analyst working at the intersection of manufacturing, economic policy, and national strategy. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
