Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) Chairperson M Angamuthu highlighted Visakhapatnam’s immense potential in maritime sector and emphasised leveraging the ministry’s initiatives to transform Vizag into a leading hub for maritime and skill development in the country.

Speaking at ‘Vizag Skill Sail 2025 – skill development conclave with green port start-up’ on Friday, launched to enhance maritime skill development while promoting innovative start-ups focused on sustainable and green port practices, the chairperson outlined the short-term and long-term perspective plans in alignment with the Prime Minister’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Underlining that the State government is actively supporting the port’s developmental initiatives and envisions Vizag as both maritime educational capital and the financial capital of Andhra Pradesh, Angamuthu noted that NITI Aayog identified Visakhapatnam as one of the key growth hubs in the port sector.

Addressing the gathering, district Collector MN Harendhira Prasad highlighted the state government’s vision ‘Swarnandhra 2047’ that aims to achieve a 2.4 trillion-dollar economy. As part of the initiative, the government identified the maritime sector as a key area of focus, given the longest coastline of Andhra Pradesh in the country. The Collector reiterated that the government is prioritising port-led manufacturing to drive economic growth and emphasised that developing a skilled workforce is the need of the hour to transform Visakhapatnam into a future maritime hub.

In his virtual speech, R Lakshmanan, Joint Secretary (Ports) briefed about the ministry’s vision in implementing skill development in coordination with the state government in the maritime sector. He further informed that Andhra Pradesh government is taking initiative to develop Ship Building Clusters and proposing for partnership with IMU, CEMS institutions.

N Sridhar, Principal Commissioner of Customs, stated that the developmental initiatives taken up by VPA will soon bear fruits.

Students from various institutions, comprising IMU, CEMS, and other business schools, actively participated in the programme. Experts from the maritime sector engaged with the students and addressed their queries.

The programme brought government officials, industry leaders and academicians together to explore opportunities for skill enhancement, entrepreneurship, and eco-friendly port solutions.