Abhimanyu Singh, Project Director, Iten Media
TFT : How do you think Oil Spill India 2014 will benefit the exhibitors, sponsors and the industry?
Abhimanyu Singh : When people look at India they see a very long coast line, They see it is also a crude transportation hub, In the east coast and in the west coast Oil companies are trying hard to find hydrocarbons. But in the safety part if something is lacking then it is proper guidelines on Oil Spill and its management. Many ministries are involved and many agencies are involved without having clear demarcation of their roles and responsibilities. Doing business in India is tough as to finding a right person is difficult, and in case of Oil Spill it becomes more tough. This is the platform and the only platform where entire fraternity which works on Oil Spill and its management comes under one roof. This platform is known as Oil Spill India. The entire industry runs on the face to face contacts, knowing each other’s characteristics, here companies are not competitors they are not similar they are unique in their approach towards the menace o f Oil Spill. Everyone has a good chance to talk to each other as people will be there for two complete days and will not go anywhere out. Will have very good environment to talk and generate good business opportunities. It will benefit the entire industry and exhibitors in particular.
TFT : What is the number of visitors , you expect at Oil Spill India 2014?
Abhimanyu Singh : The number of visitors are increasing as the edition of the event, When we started in the year 2011, it was tiny show with very few participation from the world, but now it has become one of the top oil spill shows of the world, we look forward to have not less than 500 trade visitors to this show. And as we are in the last month of promoting the event worldwide no. of visitors is definitely going to increase.
TFT : What was the volume of business generated by the Oil Spill India held in the year of 2013?
Abhimanyu Singh : The last edition was done in 2012 and few companies struck deal with Cairn and ONGC. Some pollution control boards also got to know new technology, talking about volume of total business generated through 2012 Oil Spill was around US$ 50 Million.
TFT : Are there other countries participating at Oil Spill India apart from India and if so can you please name them?
Abhimanyu Singh : Norway, USA, UK, Singapore, UAE are part of the show this time in a bigger way.
TFT : Is it an annual event or biannual event please explain about the frequency and the Cities?
Abhimanyu Singh : The event is Biennial. Next event will take place in the year 2014. The city may remain Goa. But it will be too early to say as the committee has to decide which city to be decided, but since all the three editions were held at Goa, right now it looks next edition will also be in Goa.
TFT : Is this exhibition targeted only for International market?
Abhimanyu Singh : No, India has a very large coast line around 7500 kms. But if we talk about arrangements they are very far and few. Indian govt. is addressing this issue and taking it very seriously, Our effort is to bring the technology to India which is available in the International market. The Indian subcontinent which includes Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar, Some parts of Thailand have a very huge transport of Crude, which needs a proper attention and God Forbid any incident happens we must check how much ready we are. Our target is to bring International experiences, technologies, products to Indian soil and Indian companies to take maximum advantages out of it.
TFT : Thank you for giving your precise time to speak with TFT? Can you elaborate a little on the Oil Spill India ?
Abhimanyu Singh : About OSI 2014 As commercial operations in the world’s oceans continue to develop, the requirement to be able to operate with the least possible environmental impact is an even greater focus than it has ever been for all industries. Also, as activities move into new and harsher territories, meeting this requirement means the development of new strategies and technologies to cope with different and challenging environments. The Oil Spill India 2014 at Goa, India will focus on the prevention of, and response to environmental incidents in the marine environment. This dedicated area will feature the latest technology and service solutions for assessing the potential of spill related impacts, mitigating against and, if necessary, responding to them. The International Oil Spill Conference (OSI) provides a vital forum for professionals from the international response community, private sector, government and non- governmental organizations to come together to tackle the greatest challenges facing us with sound science, practical innovation, social engineering and Imagination.
TFT : Congratulations on organising Oil Spill India, what do you expect from this event to achieve?
Abhimanyu Singh : We only want that Indian government should come in front to support this cause and seriously work upon this issue & how we can together make our seas cleaner.
TFT : How can Oil Spill India create a positive outcome for the stakeholders of Oil Spill India?
Abhimanyu Singh : India needs to attend the poor management of handling Oil Spill. This event will bring in the experiences of different stakeholders from all over the globe. Different models to handle Oil Spill. This event will provide to help think better and positive towards creating crispier guidelines on Oil Spill by the Govt. of India. Indian companies will understand the great opportunity the Oil Spill Management has and will invest to make it workable in future. Overall, this event was required and is a must attend for the entire industry and for those people who want to do something big in this field.
TFT : What were the unique Learning and exhibitors/visitors feed back from the previous edition? How would you implement them for this year’s event?
Abhimanyu Singh : The positive feedback is the venue, as people are out of their offices for two days together discussing issues pertaining to Oil Spill Only. The conducive environment created to discuss the seriousness of Oil Spill is a great effort. People wanted more international exhibitors as Indian companies need tie ups with them to bring new technologies to the Indian subcontinent. This time we have only International companies to exhibit. We sincerely hope that this will be a best platform ever created for Oil Spill fraternity to discuss.
TFT : Any special message for our readers?
Abhimanyu Singh : Oil Spill is a very tough subject, people hear about it, sometimes discuss about it but are never able to do something for it. We all love a clean environment, clean skies, clean seas, but we never know what we should do to keep them clean. Keeping them clean is second objective, first is how we can protect and what methods can be used that it is preventive rather than the breakdown. If you think that this issue is serious and needs your attention then please be a part of this drive. Come forward for the cause. Oil Spill hits for a longer time than we discuss. SO come forward and join us.