Norwegian firm eager to invest in maritime cluster

KOCHI: Asko  Maritime, the Norwegian firm promoting zero-emission sea transport and sustainable logistics, has evinced interest in cooperating with the Kerala government to develop a maritime cluster in Kochi. ASKO Maritime CEO Kai Just Olsen expressed willingness to associate with the project during an interaction with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is currently visiting Norway.

Pinarayi said the state government is initiating steps to develop Kochi as a maritime hub. He said the government is keen to implement eco-friendly projects that will help reduce carbon emission. Cochin Shipyard had delivered two autonomous electric barges to ASKO Maritime in July. These were the first fully automatic electric barges in the world and ASKO Maritime had provided the basic design and battery for the barges.

Pinarayi said Kerala will consider purchasing the same barges for transportation through the national waterways. The CM visited ASKO Maritime’s office at Horten and saw the two barges built by Cochin Shipyard. Industries Minister P Rajeeve, Chief Secretary V P Joy, Cochin Shipyard chief general manager Rajesh Gopalakrishnan and general manager Deepu Surendran were with the CM.

The Cochin University’s ship technology department had organised a seminar in June on developing Kochi as a maritime centre of excellence. However, the project report has not been developed. “A cluster in Kochi will help integrate all maritime activities at a location. The presence of Cochin Shipyard is a big advantage for Kochi and we can launch a ship building yard for smaller vessels. Ship repair and ship breaking are the other sectors we can concentrate on. After the commissioning of Vizhinjam Port, we can launch coastal shipping service for transportation of cargo brought by mother ships,” said Kerala Maritime Board chairman N S Pillai.

“Apart from ship building and ship repair, we can promote coastal shipping in a big way. Another sector is marine education. Our students are depending on Mumbai and foreign universities for courses on marine engineering. We can convert Kochi into a hub of such courses,” said Kerala Maritime Board CEO T P Salim Kumar.

Welcoming the decision to develop a maritime cluster in Kochi, Philip Mathew, CMD of LOTS Shipping Ltd, said it will help development of coastal shipping in Kerala. “We had submitted a proposal to the Union government 10 years ago to develop six maritime clusters along the country’s coastline. It will help provide logistic support to the industry. Though the state government offered a subsidy for coastal shipping, three service providers who launched coastal shipping had to exit. The government should do a study on the reasons for the failure of the project and rectify it,” he said.