Blue Economy as an opportunity for India?

Prof. Dr Dr h.c. Alexis Papathanassis invited to an exchange with politics and business

The maritime industry is a promising economic sector that is of interest to many countries. India would also like to become more involved in the business of shipbuilding, logistics and cruise tourism in the future. International expert Prof Dr Dr h.c. Alexis Papathanassis was recently invited by the Indian government to speak at a special conference. 

The blue economy offers a wide range of employment opportunities - be it in port construction, transport or tourism. India would also like to utilise this potential to further strengthen its own economy. Reason enough for the Indian Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways to invite international experts to Delhi. People from around 100 nations came together at the ‘Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue’ conference. ‘It was not a traditional scientific conference, but more of an international political dialogue. In addition to players from politics, business and science, young talents were also invited. They were selected by their universities and were given the opportunity to network,’ says Prof Papathanassis, who was invited as a speaker due to his numerous publications.

The maritime industry is not entirely new to India. The country is already quite well positioned in the cruise sector. ‘Many people from India work on cruise ships. India is also becoming increasingly popular as a tourist destination,’ says Prof Papathanassis. Prof. Papathanassis also sees an opportunity for his place of work in the fact that the country will also need specialists for other areas of the maritime industry in the future: ‘The university has a number of degree programmes that can be located in the blue economy. If India becomes more active in this area, it will open the door to opportunities for cooperation.’

A video of Prof Papathanassis' contribution is available on YouTube.