India–Netherlands MoU brings Lothal Maritime Heritage Project closer
Published on 21/12/2025 08:59 PM
India and the Netherlands have come together and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a token of their cooperation in the field of maritime heritage making the development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal, Gujarat a step closer.
The MoU was handed over in the course of the meeting between the External Affairs Minister of India, S. Jaishankar, and the Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel.
It unites the NMHC that is being built under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam.
The partnership will go further by allowing joint exhibitions, research projects, and cultural exchange programs while opening the doors to the exploration of the innovative methods for enhancing the visitor's experience, education, and public outreach throughout the partnership's duration.
The NMHC at Lothal is planned to be a world-class heritage complex displaying the maritime legacy of India for over 4,500 years.
The cooperation with the Amsterdam-based museum will likely to the NMHC being globally recognized, having inclusive education and tourism promoted.
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, remarked on this event.
"The memorandum of understanding between the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal and the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam is a significant step in presenting the remarkable 4,500-year-old maritime legacy of India to the world."
"It also goes hand in hand with Prime Minister Narendra Modiji's dream of fusing heritage with innovation for the purpose of bringing about inclusive education, tourism, and people-to-people connections," added Sonowal.
The MoU signifies a mutual commitment to not only keeping the maritime heritage alive but also to bring the two nations closer through their people and culture.
The ministers, remembering the extensive maritime relations of India and the Netherlands, were pleased with the partnership and moreover, brought up the matter of extending the cooperation going on between the two countries in the maritime and shipping industries, as reported by ANI.