MARGAO: The Goa Maritime Officers Association (GMOA) has submitted a memorandum to the Union Shipping Ministry via the Union Minister of State (MoS) Shripad Naik wherein they put forward a series of demands regarding their sector, which included setting up of a maritime school in Goa.
GMOA President Jason Da Silva stated that Goa boasts of a rich maritime tradition and a growing shipping industry. However, there is a shortage of qualified personnel in the sector. “A maritime school would provide essential training for aspiring seafarers, address the workforce deficit and contribute to the growth of the shipping industry in the region,” said Da Silva.
He also emphasised the need for larger participation of Goa’s maritime community in the Sagarmala project, which envisions the comprehensive development of India’s maritime infrastructure, focusing on port modernisation, connectivity enhancement, and logistics optimisation.
“Goa, with its strategic coastal location and rich maritime heritage, stands to gain substantially from this endeavour. Our association is eager to understand how the Sagarmala project can specifically benefit our region in terms of job creation, trade facilitation, and economic growth,” said Da Silva.
He added that they are pushing for the introduction of a four-year B.Tech in naval architecture and marine engineering degree course in Goa and pointed out that the Goa College of Engineering (GEC) in Farmagudi has the necessary infrastructure to support this B.Tech programme.
“Such a programme would also provide a new career option in high demand within the Indian and Goan maritime industry. We propose exploring a public-private partnership (PPP) model, with some seats allocated for private industry sponsorship,” said Da Silva.
He added that the association has also demanded the upgradation of the Marine mercantile Department (MMD) in Goa to a full-fledged centre to cater to the large and growing community of marine seafaring officers and crew members in Goa.
