Each year, India celebrates National Maritime Day on April 5 to commemorate India's first merchant sea voyage in the trading world.
The day was first celebrated in the year 1964. On this day in 1919, navigation history was created when SS Loyalty, the first ship of The Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd., journeyed to the United Kingdom, a crucial step for India's shipping history when sea routes were controlled by the British.
The year 2023 marks the 60th National Maritime Day. The theme for National Maritime Week 2023 is 'Amrit Kaal in Shipping'.
The day is observed yearly by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways. The day is celebrated to show gratitude to the men who spend many months in the sea, carrying out the bulk of India’s trade and commerce at a global level.
National Maritime Day is celebrated to support the global economy, the most well-organized, safe and sound environmentally responsive approach to transporting goods from one corner to another corner of the world.
One must be aware and proud that, by 2024, India aims to double its ship recycling capacity and attract more end-of-life boats from Europe and Japan to the country. And, the Maritime India Vision 2030 is a ten-year program aiming to overhaul the Indian maritime sector.
