IIT Madras is quietly revolutionizing the maritime industry in India with the establishment of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for the development of indigenous maritime Technology and expertise. The researchers involved are already making significant contributions to major maritime projects in the country, resulting in substantial cost savings by replacing foreign expertise and technology.
The CoE aims to become a global hub in the Maritime Sector, focusing on offshore/coastal engineering, green shipping, future ports, and offshore renewable technologies. Additionally, it plans to support startups and raise funds for future projects.
Funded by the ‘Institute of Eminence’ initiative of the Government of India, the CoE is operated by faculty from IIT-Madras Department of Ocean Engineering and has already produced groundbreaking results. For example, the development of in-house ‘Wavemakers’ has saved the country millions of rupees compared to importing similar technology. Additionally, the CoE has created a cost-effective ‘e-Navigation’ system for Inland Water Transport and is working on developing an Indigenous Satellite-based Automatic Identification System (SatAIS).
According to Mr. Suresh Rajendran, a world-class facility in IIT Madras is the vision for the future, supporting prototype testing for coastal and port engineering applications, the development of marine autonomous vehicles, and the application of AI and ML in marine fields to build a healthy blue economy for the nation.
The historic background of this topic is significant as it emphasizes India’s commitment to developing cutting-edge technology and expertise in the maritime sector, reducing reliance on foreign imports and expertise. The establishment of the CoE at IIT Madras represents a crucial step towards achieving this goal.
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