Deendayal Port Organises Roadshow at Gandhidham To Promote India Maritime Week 2025
Kandla:
Port Wings News Network:
As part of a promotional campaign to popularize “India Maritime Week 2025,” Deendayal Port Authority, Kandla, on 13 October 2025 organized a Maritime Festival-cum-Roadshow at Gandhidham, Gujarat.
The event was held on the theme “International Cooperation – Smart Ports: Gateways to Prosperity,” focusing on India’s growing leadership in the global maritime domain and emphasizing the need for smart, sustainable and technology-driven transformation across ports and logistics sectors.
The programme commenced with a welcome address by Sushil Kumar Singh, IRSME, Chairman, DPA, who highlighted India’s maritime progress under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister and urged stakeholders to actively participate in the forthcoming India Maritime Week 2025, to strengthen cooperation and collaboration across the maritime value chain.
While delivering the keynote address, Rajkumar Beniwal, IAS, Vice Chairman & CEO, Gujarat Maritime Board (through VC), underlined the importance of innovation, efficiency and synergy between government and industry stakeholders to modernize India’s ports and boost competitiveness in global trade.
The highlight of the programme was the Panel Discussion on the theme “Smart Ports: Gateways to Prosperity”, moderated by Nilabhra Dasgupta, IRS, Deputy Chairman, DPA. The session witnessed participation from eminent industry leaders and maritime experts who shared valuable insights on the technological, operational and sustainable evolution of smart ports.
The distinguished panelists included:
• Rahul Modi, Member, National Shipping Board – who spoke on how port automation and modernization are reshaping India’s inland waterways and improving multimodal connectivity.
• Suresh Joseph, Vice President (Projects), DP World India – who elaborated on the role of Artificial Intelligence in building Smart Ports, emphasizing real-time data analytics, automation and predictive management systems.
• Prabodh Vasant Bande, Senior Assistant Professor, Tolani Maritime Institute, Pune – who discussed the evolution of Smart Ports, exploring global best practices, emerging technologies and the roadmap for future advancements.
•Clint Carmichael, Chief Operating Officer, APM Terminals Pipavav – reflected on the link between Smart Ports and Sustainability, highlighting the role of IoT, Big Data and green technologies in unlocking operational efficiency and environmental stewardship.
• Sujal Shah, Chief Executive Officer, Mundra & Tuna Ports, Adani Ports & SEZ – shared insights on automation and digitalization initiatives, underlining their significance in enhancing port productivity, transparency and service delivery.
The discussion fostered meaningful deliberations on technology integration, public-private partnerships and international cooperation as key enablers in steering India’s maritime sector towards global excellence.
The session concluded with concluding remarks by Nilabhra Dasgupta and a vote of thanks by V. Raveendra Reddy, Chief Engineer, DPA. The Roadshow served as a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration, reaffirming Deendayal Port Authority’s unwavering commitment to driving India’s maritime growth in line with the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amritkaal Vision 2047.
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