Allcargo, National Maritime Foundation sign logistics MoU

Allcargo Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Maritime Foundation, India's premier maritime think tank, on July 30 in Mumbai, in a partnership aimed at driving future-ready maritime and logistics solutions. The MoU, signed through Allcargo Group's philanthropic initiatives, was described as a crucial milestone in industry-academia collaboration in the maritime, logistics and supply chain sectors, bringing together industry and policy experts to strengthen India's supply chain resilience.

The agreement lays the framework for joint research projects, industry outreach programs and studies, and knowledge-sharing through conferences, dialogues and workshops. It will also explore collaborative programs with logistics sector research scholars from IIM Mumbai and other universities. Allcargo Group founder and chairman Shashi Kiran Shetty is currently serving his second term as Chairperson of the Board of Governors of IIM Mumbai, a role in which the company said he has played a pivotal part in transforming the institution into a world-class academic hub for innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership.

The company positioned the MoU as consistent with its broader commitment to knowledge creation and logistics sector development, with the larger goal of supporting the government's vision of building resilient supply chains, maritime connectivity and sustainable economic growth.

Shashi Kiran Shetty said the partnership reflects Allcargo Group's belief that knowledge is a strategic asset for boosting sectoral competitiveness and nation-building, and that the MoU represents a commitment to fostering research, encouraging dialogue and nurturing new-age logistics ideas and solutions. He said India's ambition to become a global maritime and logistics powerhouse would depend not just on infrastructure but on world-class ideas, adding that industry, academia and research institutions need to work together to anticipate challenges, accelerate innovation and build practical solutions as supply chains grow more complex and interconnected. He said the collaboration is expected to generate actionable insights that strengthen supply chain resilience and support the country's vision of sustainable economic growth and global leadership in logistics.

Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan (Retd.), Director General of the National Maritime Foundation, said India's maritime aspirations require an ecosystem where policy, industry and academia work closely together to turn ideas into impactful outcomes, calling the partnership with Allcargo Group a significant step toward building that ecosystem by combining research excellence with industry experience. He said that with the maritime domain central to global trade, economic security and supply chain resilience, generating evidence-based insights and fostering informed dialogue would be critical, adding that the collaboration aims to advance research, build intellectual capital and contribute policy and industry perspectives that strengthen India's position as a leading maritime nation and a globally competitive logistics hub.

Allcargo Group is an India-born global logistics conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, with operations across 180 countries. Backed by more than four decades of experience, the group is a global leader in LCL consolidation and one of India's largest integrated logistics services providers. The company has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2040, as outlined in its recently released Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report.

The National Maritime Foundation is an independent maritime think tank focused on research, policy recommendations and strategic studies relating to India's maritime interests, working across areas including maritime security, connectivity, sustainability, technology, maritime law, safety and maritime heritage.