India Strengthens National Preparedness with Oil Spill Recovery and Salvage Symposium Ahead of International 12th Samudra Manthan Awards

India’s national leadership will gather in Mumbai for one of the country’s most significant platforms as the Directorate General of Shipping, in collaboration with the Samudra Manthan Foundation and Bhandarkar Publications as Knowledge Partner, hosts a two-day national symposium on India’s role in oil spill recovery and salvage operations on 18–19 November 2025 at the Jio World Convention Centre, BKC. With India handling close to 95 percent of its EXIM trade by sea and global data showing 1,500 to 2,000 oil spill incidents each year, strengthening the country’s environmental preparedness, emergency response capability, and ocean governance has become a critical national priority. The theme of the symposium aligns with India’s long-term goals under Viksit Bharat, Shreshtha Sagar, the Maritime India Vision 2030, and the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, reflecting a unified national effort to build safer seas and resilient coastal ecosystems.

The symposium will be inaugurated by Rajiv Jalota, IAS (Retd.), Former Chairman of MbPA & IPA, Former Director General of Shipping, and Former Managing Director of India Ports Global Ltd. He will join experts from the Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy, leading international salvage operators, offshore engineering specialists, environmental authorities, insurers, maritime law experts, and global marine institutions. The two-day dialogue will examine India’s evolving responsibilities in marine pollution control, rapid incident response, salvage readiness, environmental protection, and strengthening national coordination frameworks across ports, waterways, coastlines, and offshore zones.

As the discussions close, the momentum of the week will move into a celebration of excellence, culture and national pride at the International 12th Samudra Manthan Awards 2025, to be held on 19 November 2025 at 6 pm at the same venue. The Awards this year encourages “North East – Eight Sisters: Where India’s Horizon Rises First,” honouring the identity, spirit and emerging strategic relevance of the North-East in the country’s expanding maritime, connectivity and logistics vision.

The ceremony will be presided over by Gen. (Dr.) Vijay Kumar Singh, PVSM, AVSM, YSM (Retd.), Hon’ble Governor of Mizoram, whose presence brings national stature and emotional resonance to the evening. Senior leaders including Sanjay Bhatia, IAS (Retd.), Rajeeva Sinha, Capt. Vivek Bhandarkar, and Ashish Pednekar will join in recognising outstanding contributions across shipping, logistics, port management, sustainability, technology and allied sectors.

A live Mizo band will present a cultural salute, adding the vibrance and warmth of Mizoram and the Eight Sisters to the celebration. The evening reinforces India’s commitment to honouring excellence while acknowledging the North-East’s integral role in regional development, inland waterways, cross-border trade routes and national connectivity.