Ein einfaches, dunkelblaues Lupensymbol auf einem hellgrauen Hintergrund.

German Maritime Centre and India Maritime Centre sign MoU to strengthen cooperation

The German Maritime Centre (DMZ) and the India Maritime Centre (IMC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen maritime cooperation between Germany and India.
2 September 2026

Bringing together maritime perspectives

The MoU establishes a framework for joint research and the organisation of joint events, creating new opportunities for knowledge exchange and closer collaboration between the maritime sectors of both countries.

“In its Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, India has set itself ambitious targets for its maritime sector”, says Dr Matthias Catón, Managing Director of the DMZ. “For example, it aims to become one of the world’s top five shipbuilding nations by 2047 and to expand its nationwide port capacity to 10,000 MTPA. This presents attractive opportunities for German companies. Given China’s dominance, particularly in shipbuilding, diversification is also in our geopolitical interest.”

 

Official signing at the SMM in Hamburg

The MoU was signed by Dr Reinhard Lüken (Chairman) and Dr Matthias Catón (Managing Director) for the German Maritime Centre, and by Devki Nandan Sharma (Chairman) and Arjun Ashok Chowgule (Director) for the India Maritime Centre.

The signing ceremony took place in the presence of:

  • Raakesh Natraj, Consul General of India in Hamburg
  • Vijay Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India
  • Dr Christoph Ploß, Member of the German Federal Parliament and Coordinator of the Federal Government for Maritime Business and Tourism
  • Dr Melanie Leonhard, Senator for Economy, Labour and Innovation of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg

The DMZ and the IMC look forward to taking the next steps in their partnership. For further information, interview requests, images or other enquiries, please contact the DMZ communications team. You can find a selection of photos from the event here.

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