Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who inaugurated the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways & Coasts (NTCPWC) at the Discovery Campus of IIT, Madras on Monday said the centre will enable Make In India tech solutions for the sector and propel overall growth.
The NTCPWC, the technology arm of Union Shipping Ministry will be expanded to include world-class multifunctional maritime laboratories in the areas of climate change, marine robotics, marine informatics and analytics, smart modelling and simulation. A maritime innovation hub, which will act as core of breeding ecosystem for fostering startups and innovation in the nation, will be setup at the NTCPWC, he said.
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Centres of excellence in line with the NTCPWC would be established in the near future. "In India's Amrit Kaal, we are led by Prime Minister Narendra Modiji's vision to build an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The NTCPWC will enable #MakeInIndia tech solutions for this important sector and give impetus to growth of our ports, waterways and coastal communities," Sonowal said.
He said the Centre was committed to leveraging technology to realise the vision of Aatmanirbharta in the maritime sector.
NTCPWC with a mandate to bring cutting-edge technology to the port and waterways sectors was established under the ambitious Sagarmala programme at a cost of Rs 77 crore. This "role model" centre will provide solutions to challenges in the maritime sector through scientific support, education, applied research and technology transfer at the local, regional, national and international levels.
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The Discovery Campus was set up in February 2018 on 163-acre area of the IIT Madras, and is located at Thaiyur, about 36 km from the main campus at Guindy.
The NTCPWC researchers demonstrated the shallow wave basin equipment as well as provided an overview of the special projects underway at this research Facility to the Union Minister, in the presence of Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras and other officials.
Speaking on the occasion, Sonowal said, "Till date, more than 100 projects/products worth Rs 200 crore have been developed and operationalised at major ports, waterways, atomic energy, state maritime boards, ALHW, Navy and many other PSUs and State agencies, among others. These products have provided tangible benefits and cost savings to the extent of more than Rs 1,500 crore. This is a step in the right direction of the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ of the Prime Minister."
The NTCPWC-IIT Madras, Discovery Campus spread over four acres, has about five state-of-the-art labs. Notable among them is the ‘Sedimentation Management and Test Basin,’ which is a large shallow water facility for ports and waterways and marine information and communication laboratory where iVTMS and e-navigation products are developed.
Prof Kamakoti said the estimated savings from NTCPWC in the last five years is around Rs 1,500 crore of foreign exchange by indigenous technology. "This is also comparable with best facilities in the world including Europe. We are establishing ourselves as leaders and role models,” he said.
Prof K Murali, Dean (faculty), IIT Madras, and Head, NTCPWC-IIT Madras, said the NTCPWC has commissioned a large 360 degrees projection based Full Mission Ship Handling Simulator for conducting complex navigation feasibility studies for port development projects and including inland waterways.
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Malini V Shankar, Vice Chancellor, Indian Maritime University, Sunil Paliwal, Chairman, Chennai Port Authority, and Venkata Ramana Akkaraju, Chairman, New Mangalore Port Authority, also spoke.
