Enterprising Marine Engineer projects A.P. as ‘Shipbuilding and Logistics Hub’

TIRUPATI : An enterprising marine engineer Mohanraju Muppala, who played a key role in bringing digital connectivity to commercial vessels on high seas, envisages Andhra Pradesh as an emerging ‘shipbuilding and logistics hub’. He has submitted a report to the State Government to this effect.

Hailing from the tiny village of Chenchuraju Kandriga in Tirupati district where he had not seen a bus as a child, this youth shot to fame almost a decade back when he led the IT team that introduced satellite communication to the ships, bridging the gap between the crew and their families on land.

Mr. Mohanraju studied marine engineering and MBA in Information Technology and Customer Services, which took him places. When he joined the Denmark-based Clipper Fleet Management in 2014, the maritime sector was largely dependent on mechanical practices and less on technology and even internet was rare on commercial vessels.

As the head of Vessel IT, he was instrumental in introducing IT infrastructure in 300 ships, handling IT policy and regulations, network technology, satellite communications, and ERP migration to cybersecurity.

Mr. Mohanraju has proposed to the government to tap the State’s potential by developing a ‘global shipping hub’ on a par with Rotterdam, Hong Kong and Singapore, taking advantage of its long sea coast.

“As the Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu is keen on transforming the State into a logistics and shipping hub, I have prepared a roadmap and submitted it to the State government, envisaging creation of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) dedicated to international trade, warehousing and logistics,” he told The Hindu.

‘’The SEZ can become a ‘customs-exempt’ area where global shipping companies can store and transit their cargo without entering the Indian market, which makes it a global stocking point,’’ he explained in his report.