Special Session on Seafarers - Capt Hari Subramaniam - Global Maritime India Summit 2023 @GMIS2023 

Good afternoon everyone. Very heavy duty master on the port side, one on the starboard side, so we are on an even keel. No seafarers, no shipping, no shipping. That's what we've heard for the last few years and I think that's what we are going to resonate together. Before that, respected members of the panel and my dear friends, I would like to thank firstly honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and his team for the fantastic vision in making today happen, and of course for inviting me here. Thank you to the Shipping Ministry and the office of the Director General of Shipping for executing this vision. Thank you to my employers, the Ship Owners PNI Club, who ensure nearly 34,000 ships and strongly encourage participation in such events and collaborate for a sustainable and better future. Thank you, CMMI, and all our seafarers who have come here today to support this cause. And last but not least, thank you to my parents, my family, and the Almighty. No, I have not won an Oscar and giving a speech over here, but this is to lay emphasis on the tagline of GMIS 2023: 'Connect, Collaborate, and Create.' My journey so far to this platform has not been a single crusader's challenge but actually a group involvement of all my stakeholders involved, similar to shipping. Now coming back to shipping, it is a changing ecosystem with the advent of technology, not to mention the concerns about seafarers. There are so many young people at the back over there, a budding generation, and they may be worrying that suddenly overnight they're going to become redundant because of autonomous ships. This is mainly because of a lack of understanding of autonomous ships. You don't have to worry because I think seafarers are always going to be there in some form or the other to support the industry. Now the definition of ships is changing, the whole definition and the role of seafarers is changing. New technologies including cyber-physical systems, environmental information perception, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and big data. I can barely pronounce half these things but when I speak to my teenage son and his generation they'll say 'chill, it's easy, don't worry about this', and that gives us confidence. With the advent of autonomous shipping, in 2017 the IMO initiated a regulatory scoping exercise for the use of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships, or MASS as we refer to them, and that was concluded in 2021. The outcome highlighted a number of high priority issues such as clarification of the meaning of the term 'Master', 'crew', and a new thing 'responsible person' in case of remotely operated ships. It also identified the possible re-designation of a remote operator as a seafarer. Now my bee in my bonnet is: why doesn't it turn around and say re-designation or upscaling of a seafarer to include a remote operator? Do we really need a new player over here? We've got enough of our own people to upskill and man these. So that's something to take away. Now instead of amending the STCW code, the IMO is now working on a MASS code pertaining to training of seafarers for autonomous ships. The mandatory goal-based MASS code is expected to enter into force in January 2028. It is essential that India has representation in the IMO MASS code working group to make sure that our interests are also protected. Now coming back to training, unfortunately we always wait for the IMO to start putting things in place before taking things forward. My question to all of us is: why? What are we waiting for? There are many autonomous ships in the world already trading with some amount of seafarers on board. Surely there is enough data for us to start the process of upscaling. We really don't have to wait for it to all be finalized before we commence. Skill upgrading should start now if Indian seafarers want to stay ahead of the curve. Professional bodies like CMMI, IMEI, MC Global, MET, etc., also have the resources and expertise to conduct such internal scoping exercises for India. My humble request is to the ministry: we are at your disposal, sir, please engage with us now. Let's talk about soft skills. That's the technical bits. For seafarers, I feel we should create a path whereby formal leadership training is made available for them during their journey as they come up to Master and Chief Engineer. Maybe not feasible, there is a cost, maybe not feasible for all seafarers, but definitely there can be a mechanism to identify the potential people who are going to lead the future, and then they can do further studies such as reputed management courses, law degrees, and be groomed to become the key influencers and decision makers of the future. Having seafarers at the helm will ensure the maritime industry will remain the core industry and not simply become an ancillary function of an IT company. Yes, there are some management courses available in the market but unfortunately they are beyond reach because currently the Indian Master Mariner license is not even recognized by Indian universities as equivalent to do further studies. For the newer people coming out it is possible with DNS etc., but there are a lot of seafarers in their 30s and 40s, like the honorable Minister said. That's a huge talent chunk; if we can get them to do further studies in the right place, then they will be placed very strategically to make sure our industry's interests are protected. I am aware that other countries have started removing this hurdle. I've got a few more industry issues to address if I may. Engagement and contribution of the fraternity in policy making is essential. I work closely with the UK Ministry of Boort Authority Singapore and they've got a successful model where a lot of people from the industry form working groups, the safety working groups of different types of ships, and they are actually an added resource for the ministry and they help with safety factors and policy challenges. Even here, we've got a lot of professional bodies: I've said again CMMI, IMEI, MC Global, MET, Nautical Institute, Shipping Associations FORMA INSA MASA. There is a huge amount of expertise and we can come together and provide consultative advice to the maritime administration on these matters. One voice, again the tagline: collaborate, connect, and create. Unemployment: the unchecked churning out of cadets from some local training institutes without any commitment of placing on board. It is heart-wrenching. I receive a lot of messages from cadets from poor families who have paid substantial amounts of money to conduct their training and then they are not placed on board. It is not a nice sight to see and this has to stop. I must say it doesn't make India look good in the international community if this persists. The next topic: IMO Goodwill Ambassadors. A lot of countries have them, why not from India? We are a huge maritime nation and I think we should nominate at least four IMO Goodwill Ambassadors who will then work with the IMO and represent India and the future generations, thereby painting Indian seafarers and the industry in good light. It took a long time to change the foreigners' perception of India from just a cricketing nation to a global superpower under the leadership of honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Was it difficult? Of course it was. Was it impossible? Absolutely not. And I think together we can. And on that note, I would stop here. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat.