Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates Mercantile Marine Department (MMD), Visakhapatnam

VISAKHAPATNAM : A key milestone in advancing maritime administration and service to stakeholders on the eastern seacoast of the country. The newly constructed office of the Mercantile Marine Department (MMD), Visakhapatnam was inaugurated on 14th July 2025 by the Hon’ble Union Minister, MoPSW, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal in the august presence of the Hon’ble Minister of State, MoPSW, Shri Shantanu Thakur, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Visakhapatnam), Shri Sribharat Mathukumilli, Shri T.K. Ramachandran, Shipping Secretary, MoPSW , and Shri Sushil Mansing Khopde, IPS, Addl. Director General of Shipping.

This state-of-the-art facility is envisioned to strengthen maritime governance, enhance regulatory efficiency, and provide seamless service delivery to the shipping and seafaring community in this region. Equipped with modern infrastructure, including examination halls, auditoriums, and administrative blocks, this new office will play a pivotal role in fulfilling statutory functions such as registration, ship’s statutory surveys/inspections, seafarers’ certifications under the STCW Code, and institutional oversight.

The Government remains committed to creating future-ready maritime institutions, in alignment with the vision of ‘Maritime India 2030’ and AMRITKAAL VISION 2047.