NewzVille Desk
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal held a bilateral meeting with Terada Yoshimichi, Japan’s Vice Minister for International Affairs, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism (MLITT) in Oslo today. To deepen the maritime relations between the two countries, the meeting entailed discussions on multiple areas including investment by Japanese Shipyards, collaboration on port digitisation and green port initiatives, increase in R&D cooperation, upskilling human resources, employment of Indian seafarers in Japan among others.
Both the ministers also discussed about using sustainable technologies, disaster-resilient infrastructure, and enhanced connectivity to enable Andaman Nicobar islands and Lakswadeep islands to be converted into Smart Islands.
Acknowledging the rich expertise of Japan in developing island territories, Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Japan’s expertise in this area is highly valued. We see scope for joint work in the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands, particularly in deploying renewable energy, smart mobility systems, and digital infrastructure. These initiatives will further strengthen our shared commitment to ecological conservation and regional maritime security.”
The meeting also discussed about increasing partnership between Indian and Japanese shipyards including Greenfield investment such as Imabari Shipbuilding in Andhra Pradesh and others.
Opportunities for co-development of ports and maritime industrial clusters as clean energy hubs were also gauged for mutual cooperation. Sonowal expressed India’s interest in leading Japanese shipbuilding companies such as Imabari Shipbuilding, JMUC, Kanagawa Dockyard, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to explore joint ventures and collaborative arrangements with Indian yards.
Terada Yoshimichi expressed that India and Japan have very intimate relationship. Japan has been engaged in railway infrastructure development with India but now ‘very interested in maritime sector’. Prospects of mutual collaboration in shipbuilding and training of seafarers were discussed and considered positively. He expressed satisfaction over the meeting.
Emphasising the need to deepen bilateral ties in maritime training and development, as well as cooperation in research and development, both sides agreed to further strengthen collaboration in the maritime sector, especially on sustainable maritime technologies and next-generation ship design. Sonowal revealed India’s interest for a MoU for a framework to avail promising avenues for collaboration with Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Indian universities, and public agencies.
