MACN launched the Anti-Corruption Campaign at a Maritime Conference held in Mumbai on 27^th July. Addressing the gathering Mr Kumar Sanjay Bariar, Additional Director General of Shipping, said, “This noble concern for corruption is reflected in the UN Consul General Development Board which aims to reduce corruption and bribery in any form. The Call Committee has approved guidance to combat corruption in the Maritime sector and it has been endorsed by the Council.”

Outlining the issue of Maritime Corruption in an international scenario, he complimented the relevance of MACN saying, “MACN is connecting the shipping industry across the globe and its numerous stakeholders to develop and share best practices, and collaborating with governments to identify and mitigate the root causes of corruption to create a culture of integrity within the Maritime industry.”

Emphasizing the preventive and curative actions, he said, “The government and policymakers need to involve mechanisms to identify the corrupt practices, followed by preventive actions, which need to be simplified without any bottlenecks since, in the zeal to curtail corruption, the procedures are made so cumbersome that the industry feels suffocated in functioning and in getting approvals.

“In this regard, MACN’s initiative to bring in global best practices can be of great value to the Maritime industry across the world.”

He concluded by saying, “Since corruption happens from human interaction in offices and ports, there is a need for reduction for footfalls and putting in place a well-developed E-Governance system to facilitate faceless transactions. We in India have very strong and effective embedded systems in the government. Since the maritime industry is a very integrated type of industry, the same developed systems and platforms need to be followed across global interfaces.”

Marex Media