New Delhi, July 11 (LAB) India has launched its first Ocean Centre under the global Ocean Centres initiative to promote maritime safety and sustainability. The launch event, held at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, was inaugurated by Dr. M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences.
The Ocean Centres initiative, hosted by the UN Global Compact and supported by Lloyd’s Register Foundation, was first introduced globally at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France. India is among seven countries – alongside Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the Philippines – to host these centres, each designed to address regional safety and sustainability challenges in ocean economies.
The Ocean Centre India aims to advance a safe and sustainable ocean economy by fostering collaboration among governments, industries, financial institutions, NGOs, and community-led organisations. It focuses on four key sectors: shipping and ports, fishing and aquaculture, offshore renewables, and finance and investment, with an emphasis on creating locally relevant solutions and influencing policies and standards.
Launching the initiative, Dr. Ravichandran proposed a five-pronged agenda focusing on food, water, energy, health, and security to achieve a safe and sustainable ocean economy.
The event also saw participation from Dr. Vishwapati Trivedi, Former Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, and Shri H.N. Aswath, Development Adviser, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. Two high-level panel discussions were held, focusing on co-creating a safe and sustainable ocean economy and integrating safety within sustainability practices.
Ms Dagmara Karbowska, Global Programme Manager, Lloyd’s Register Foundation, highlighted the importance of risk identification in the maritime sector. Mr. Ratnesh Jha, Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network India, welcomed delegates, while Dr. Ravi Raj Atrey shared the initiative’s background.
Panel discussions included insights from experts such as:
- Mr. Arnab Mandal, Tata Trusts
- Ms Bharti Birla, ILO
- Mr. R.K. Singh, SIDBI
- Prof. Vimlesh Pant, IIT Delhi
- Ms Archana Chatterjee, IUCN India
- Mr. Santanu Basu, HCL Foundation
- Dr. Tarun Kumar Singh, Department of Fisheries, Govt. of India
- Ms Mohana Priya Selvamani, Ocean Energy Pathway
- Ms Divya Hegde, Baeru Collective
- Mr. N.M. Prusty, Coalition for Food & Nutrition Safety
- Mr. Chinuu Kwatra, Khushiyan Foundation
- Experts from UNDP, World Bank, and others
The Ocean Centre India urged stakeholders to make “Safety at the Heart of Sustainability” a nationwide movement, beginning with the maritime sector.
Ocean Centres India is a multi-stakeholder platform advancing safe and sustainable ocean economies by providing guidance, influencing standards and policies, and addressing sector-specific challenges. It contributes to India’s vision of Vikshit Bharat by 2047 through initiatives in shipping and ports, fishing and aquaculture, offshore renewables, and finance.