1. INTERVIEW12 CARGOTALK DECEMBER 2014
IndianoceanfreighthasalottoofferDenmark
Please brief us about
the Indo-Danish
alliance in the
maritime sector.
India is in a nascent stage in
the maritime sector and a strong
synergy could be developed
leading to a win-win situation for
both. We see vast scope for coop-
eration with the shipping sector in
India, but ports in India need to
ease tariff norms.
The country has a large young
population and we are interested in
tapping this potential of India. India
is also suffering from inadequate
skilled manpower, but we will edu-
cate them and train them well to
ensure that we have a skilled labour
force.It is not possible to take a man
from the street and put him in a ter-
minal and ask him to handle all these
huge and complicated operations. It
takes lots of effort to train and edu-
cate people; however we are ready
to invest in India.
What are your
expectations from the
Indian shipping market?
Why have you selected
India for your future
investments?
Shipping is one of the
biggest areas of trade between
Denmark and India. Danish ship-
ping serves India for all important
market segments and several
Danish shipping companies have
opened offices in India, such
as the Maersk Group India,
which includes business units
of Damco, Maersk training,
Safmarine, Svitzar and APM
Terminals. The group employs
12,740 people in India and
recruits 150-200 cadets
annually.
The sector has also started
getting the attention it deserves.
The government is also focusing
on the areas that require
enhancement; there is a scope
for cooperation in the areas of
ship design, port development
and logistics. The campaign
‘Make in India’has a lot to offer to
the country; one of the key points
to make it successful is to create
a state-of-the-art infrastructure for
sea transportation. In order to
make this project successful,
good road and rail connectivity
is crucial.
We are extremely happy to
see the new Railway Minister,
Suresh Prabhu understand these
complex issues, he knows what it
takes to move from ‘talking to
walking’ and the challenge of
doing it in a very short span of
time.Foreign investors are finding
India and its buoyant economy a
great place to invest in.
CT BUREAU
The India-Denmark synergy can lead to India shortening the learning curve to create an enabling environment for
both the foreign and Indian players to thrive.The only need is to have holistic, coordinated and executed shipping
and maritime policies, says H.E. Freddy Svane, Ambassador of Denmark to India, in a tête-à-tête with CARGOTALK.
Freddy Svane
Ambassador of Denmark to India
N The tariff guidelines are cutting down the growth of the country. If you will not
bring in modern technology, you can’t secure the productivity and efficiency
N Bring the industry together and make them talk together, coordinate and
amalgamate
N Need of a well functioning and efficient infrastructural system
N A holistic policy and a common vision is required to make the shipping industry
not only one of the most competitive industries but also to make the industry
ready for all the challenges
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