Siemens Involved in India’s Maritime Industry

Center of Excellence in Maritime and Shipbuilding (CEMS)

Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), a leading classification society, is setting up a Center of Excellence in Maritime and Shipbuilding (CEMS) in association with Ministry of Shipping and Siemens, with campuses at Vishakhapatnam and Mumbai. The land and building for the Vishakhapatnam campus has been provided by the Indian Maritime University, and the Mumbai campus has been provided by the IRS. The physical infrastructure already exists at both the campuses and only minor changes and upgrades are required. By using the existing buildings and other infrastructure facilities, the Center would create world-class lab infrastructure.

Siemens has been entrusted with the task of developing training curriculum and content, train the trainers, conduct training sessions, manage certification process, etc. Siemens is contributing technology, expertise and 87 percent of the funding for the Center, which will have capacity for over 10,000 students a year. The understanding is that Siemens will run the Center for two years and then hand it over to a non-profit company promoted by IRS.

The CEMS will primarily cater to the need for design of commercial ships in India for seagoing, coastal and inland waterways operation. This would support various Indian shipyards for their ship design needs for basic design and detailed working design for production. The Center will also study the market needs and develop appropriate ship designs catering to the requirements for the development and growth of Indian shipping. Other salient features:

• CEMS will train students to hone their skills in line with the needs of the port and maritime industry on the engineering and technical fronts

• The training at CEMS would include ship designing, manufacturing, operating and maintenance, repair and overhaul

• The Center also aims to attract students from neighboring countries, such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia

One of the chief reasons for setting up the CEMS is to meet with the job requirements that will grow substantially in ports and maritime sector due to the government’s thrust on shipping; and the nation's Make in India and Skill India efforts. India's Ministry of Shipping is also developing Cochin into a global ship repair hub with the construction of a new facility at Cochin Shipyard.

Keywords: Siemens, Center of Excellence, CEMS, Maritime, Ministry Shipping, ARC Advisory Group.