Welcome Message

Since 75% of the world’s population lives within 200 miles of the littoral, it is not surprising that the seas have played a dominant role in the well being and prosperity of mankind down the ages. India’s peninsular configuration makes her as dependent as any island nation on the seas which surround her, and the Indian Ocean has had a profound impact on the country’s destiny.

The present era of globalization has served to re-emphasise the mutual inter-dependence of nations, as well as their collective reliance on the seas, which provide a smooth, multi-lane highway for 97% of the world’s commerce. India’s own booming economy would not be able to sustain its trajectory without the swift and timely movement of trade, energy and vital resources along the sea lanes of communication or SLOCs. Vast troves of natural resources and mineral wealth lie concealed in the waters of the oceans around us and beneath the seabed; merely awaiting the technologies to retrieve them.

Regrettably, the metaphor of “calm seas” is a deceptive one, and the maritime environment contains the potential for great turmoil and conflict; some of it arising from natural causes, but most of it man-made. The safety of life at sea has always been hostage to nature’s fury which, as the 2004 tsunami showed, can have an equally devastating impact on the shore. With much of the world’s hydrocarbon trade being ship-borne, there is also the omnipresent hazard of massive pollution or disaster incidents occurring at sea.

A more recent phenomenon is that of non-state entities: terrorist organizations, drug mafias, human and arms trade syndicates and plain criminals looking for loot (given the romantic name of “pirates” on the high seas), which poses a grave menace to the peaceful conduct of maritime commerce and trade. After 9/11 the spectre of weapons of mass destruction being smuggled into a port by means of a ship or container, also looms large.

Everyone realizes that a major disruption of any kind in maritime traffic has the potential to destabilise world economies, and efforts are continuously under way to counter threats of various types, which can arise in the SLOCs as well as in coastal waters and harbours. The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), the Container Security Initiative (CSI) and the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) code are all manifestations of this endeavour. But, obviously, much more needs to be done to make the seas secure for mariners and the ships they ply.

It is in this context that the Maritime Security International (MSI) exhibition, scheduled to be held in Greater Noida in November 2008, is not just timely, but promises to be a most significant event for the maritime community. By providing a common meeting ground for maritime associations, navies, coast guards, shipping companies, ports authorities, service providers and many other related agencies, MSI 2008, will facilitate not just dialogue and information exchange, but also enable a focused examination of maritime security problems and the available solutions.

 

Admiral Arun Prakash PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM, ADC Former Chief of the Naval Staff Read about Admiral Arun Prakash

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