Conclave on global maritime issues gets under way

The first edition of the two-day Trivandrum Dialogue on ‘The Significance of the Maritime Domain: Evolving Maritime Issues for India in the Emerging Dynamics of Geopolitics’ got under way here on Tuesday.

Inaugurating the programme, former Director General of the Indian Coast Guard Vice Admiral M.P. Muralidharan (retired) highlighted the growing centrality of oceans in national and global strategy and described the moment as particularly significant for mariners and maritime professionals.

Reflecting on the historical challenges of life at sea, Mr. Muralidharan recalled early navigation dependent on celestial guidance and uncharted waters. He also traced India’s deep-rooted maritime traditions by citing references in the Arthashastra to ships, ports, and maritime trade; and noted that the country’s long-standing civilisational engagement with global maritime routes extended to regions such as China and Japan.

He also referred to the disruption of India’s maritime sector during colonial rule and its gradual revival since the 1970s. The country’s long coastline and expanding maritime interests make effective maritime protection and governance a strategic necessity, he pointed out.

The event is jointly organised by the Central University of Kerala (CUK), Institute for the Study of Developing Areas (ISDA) and the Kerala International Centre (KIC).

Delivering the presidential address, former diplomat and KIC director T.P. Sreenivasan observed that maritime neighbourhoods often foster stronger relations than land borders, and added that oceans are emerging as key spaces of opportunity amid the rupture of the existing global order.

He also stressed the need for strategic autonomy, selective cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region, and the preservation of multilateralism with the United Nations at its core.

CUK School of Global Studies Dean Suresh Rangarajan, ISDA chairman Mohanan Bhaskaran Pillai and director V. Rajendran Nair also spoke.

Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd. (VISL) managing director Divya S. Iyer, who led a plenary session, presented the seaport as a future gateway for global trade, a catalyst for port-led industrialisation, and a hub for maritime logistics, coastal and inland trade, tourism integration, and bunkering services.