India, Aug. 26 -- The National Shipping Board (NSB) held its first 'Sagar Samvad' on Tuesday, using the day-long dialogue to press for a five-point roadmap, including to add 100 vessels to India's foreign-dependent merchant fleet over the next five years, as expressed by the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, during his speech.

The event, themed "Charting the Roadmap Towards Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047," was held at the Civil Services Officers Institute on Vinay Marg and drew senior officials, shipowners, financiers and young cadets from India's maritime training institutes. Sagar Samvad, which means "ocean dialogue," carries the board's motto as its theme line: "...