A premier institute for seafarers will soon have a centre focused on maritime innovation and research.
A former student of the institute is financing the setting up of the unit to repay his debt to his alma mater.
The foundation stone for Dr Ravi K Mehrotra Centre of Excellence in Maritime (CoEM) was laid at Indian Maritime University’s Kolkata Campus in Taratala on Monday.
Mehrotra, an alumnus of the institute, is the founder of Foresight Group, a London-headquartered firm with global operations in diverse areas, including shipping and drilling. Now in his eighties, Mehrotra began his career as a marine engineer with the Shipping Corporation of India and founded the Foresight Group in 1984.
“I have great respect for my alma mater. I graduated from the institute in 1964
and joined the Shipping Corporation of India. I always had a dream. If I become successful, I must give something back to my alma mater. I don’t know if I am successful but I am busy even at this age,” Mehrotra, who joined the ceremony virtually, told the audience to a loud applause.
The audience comprised veteran seafarers who once studied at the institute, budding cadets, faculty and government officials.
“India needs to develop its maritime knowledge because it has 7,500 miles of coastline,” he said.
IMU said an MoU was signed with RK Mehrotra Holdings Limited on August 5, 2024, for a donation of $1.5 million (₹12.9 crore approximately) over five years.
The new centre will be spread over 6,500sqft. It will focus on research to help giant cargo vessels save fuel.
“It will be focused on promoting research and development initiatives of IMU; training programmes for students, professionals and industry stakeholders and promoting partnerships with shipping companies, port authorities and other organisations
in the maritime sector,” said an official.
“Research in two niche areas, improving energy efficiency through biofuels and developing a toolkit for fuel optimisation on merchant ships are already being considered,” the official said.
The IMU campus in the city came up with the amalgamation of the Marine Engineering and Research Institute (MERI) and the Institute of Port Management.
MERI was founded in 1949 by Jawaharlal Nehru. It was then called the Directorate of Marine Engineering Training (DMET). The DMET was renamed Marine Engineering and Research Institute in 1995.
Now, the institute offers courses in BTech (marine engineering), MTech (marine technology) and MBA in international transportation and logistics management.
The institute’s director, Rear Admiral Amit Bose (retd), said “IMU has set course on a new voyage”.
“The future generation of seafarers will be better equipped to meet the challenges,” he said.
Malini V. Shankar, vice-chancellor of IMU, and V.K. Singh, chief engineer of the Kolkata region of Central Public Works Department (CPWD), were among those who joined the programme virtually. The CPWD is building the centre of excellence.