Mumbai: India is charting an ambitious course to become one of the world’s top five shipbuilding nations, with plans to significantly expand its port-handling capacity through new mega ports, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in Mumbai on 27 October.
Speaking at the inauguration of the fourth edition of India Maritime Week 2025, Shah said the upcoming Great Nicobar project would multiply India’s maritime trade potential and global connectivity.
The $5-billion Great Nicobar infrastructure project, which includes a transhipment port, airport and power plant, has drawn criticism from environmental activists and local communities over forest and ecological concerns.
Despite this, Shah said the project was pivotal to India’s maritime ambitions. The government aims to raise the nation’s port-handling capacity from the current 2,700 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 10,000 MTPA, supported by the country’s strategic 11,500-km coastline across 13 coastal states.
Highlighting India’s maritime growth, Shah noted that coastal shipping had increased by 118 per cent and cargo handling by 150 per cent over the past decade, with turnaround times improving to global standards. He added that India’s maritime strategy is built on “cooperation, not competition,” and reflects a 5,000-year-old seafaring tradition.
At the event, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said India plans to reduce logistics costs to 9 per cent of GDP from the current 16 per cent, aligning closer to global benchmarks. He stressed the need for an efficient and innovative financial model to strengthen shipbuilding.
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, said 680 MoUs worth Rs 10 lakh crore were expected to be signed during the event, adding that India’s maritime initiatives would shape the future of the nation’s blue economy and global trade leadership.
Also Read –
Indian IT Sector Set to Cross $400 Billion by 2030 as AI Drives New Outsourcing Wave: Report
