Barge operators are calling for the Indian port Goa to be developed as a maritime industrial estate.

The Goa Barge Owners' Association (GBOA) has submitted a proposal to the state government for the port to be developed on the same lines as Dubai Maritime City in United Arab Emirates.

"The barging industry is the lifeline of the iron ore exports of Goa," said Praveen Agarwal, chairman of Mormugoa Port, the main port area of Goa.

"It has virtually developed on its own without ……government interference or support."  He added: "The credit goes entirely to the operators for developing a very efficient barging industry."

He said success had come despite "more than 50 years" of being "plagued by issues like completely inadequate facilities for repairs, bunkering and safe water".

Atul Jadhav, president of the GBOA, said there was a "total paucity of facilities for repairs" and that barges were often unready when the export season season began.

Dubai Maritime City (DMC) is a multipurpose maritime zone still under construction on reclaimed land. It claims it will be the world’s first purpose-built maritime center.