New Delhi, Jun 7 (IANS): Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) will be setting up India's first international maritime services cluster at GIFT City. The Maritime Cluster will be developed as a dedicated ecosystem comprising of Ports, Shipping, Logistics services providers and pertinent Government Regulators, all present in the same geographic vicinity (i.e. GIFT City). The cluster will further leverage the proximity and accessibility of these stakeholders to enable a synergetic collaboration.

Welcoming the new cluster, Tapan Ray, MD & Group CEO, GIFT City, said, "Establishing a maritime cluster is a much-needed step towards advancing India's credentials and economic viability in this sector. We are delighted that India's first international maritime cluster will be located in GIFT City which will help in realising the full potential of India's marine prowess."

The Cluster intends to host an array of maritime industry players, such as key regulators/government agencies to ensure 'Ease of Doing Business' for the cluster members; maritime/shipping industry Associations and businesses; intermediate services providers, such as Shipping Finance, Marine Insurance, Maritime Arbitrators, Maritime Law Firms, etc.; and support Services Providers, such as Maritime Education Institutes, etc.

The Maritime Cluster also intends to house an Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre, focused on maritime/shipping. This shall ensure economic benefits and ease of doing business for the maritime fraternity, which currently has to depend on International Arbitration Centers. The state of the art campus of Gujarat Maritime University - a premier institute for maritime education in India, is also coming up at the GIFT City.

GIFT City is India's first operational smart city and International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), GIFT City is an emerging global financial and IT services hub, a first of its kind in India, designed to be at or above par with globally benchmarked business districts.