Navigating India’s Maritime Path

Why in news?

India’s maritime sector is undergoing a transformative journey under the Maritime India Vision 2030 (MIV 2030) and the ambitious Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.

What is Maritime India Vision 2030?

• Comprehensive roadmap – It is a comprehensive roadmap to develop India's maritime sector, encompassing ports, shipping, and waterways.
• Launched in - 2021
• It outlines over 150 initiatives to make India a global maritime leader by modernizing infrastructure, improving logistics efficiency, and promoting sustainability.

Nearly 95% of the country’s trade by volume & around 70% by value moves through maritime routes.

• Promoter of growth – More than a blueprint for cargo movement, MIV 2030 is a catalyst for trade, investment, and employment, charting India’s course toward economic growth and global competitiveness.

How has India’s ports sector evolved between 2014 and 2025?

• Capacity expansion – Total port capacity nearly doubled from 1,400 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) to 2,762 MMTPA due to significant infrastructure investments.
• Cargo growth – Cargo volumes rose from 972 MMT to 1,594 MMT, with major ports handling 855 million tonnes in FY 2024–25, up from 819 million tonnes in FY 2023–24.
• Efficiency gains – Average vessel turnaround time improved dramatically from 93 hours to 48 hours, enhancing overall productivity and global competitiveness.
• Net surplus growth – Annual surplus jumped from Rs. 1,026 crore to Rs. 9,352 crore, reflecting stronger revenue and better cost control.
• Efficiency boost – Operating ratio improved from 73% to 43%, indicating more sustainable and profitable operations.

How has India’s shipping sector evolved between 2014 and 2025?

• Fleet expansion – Indian-flagged vessels has charted steady growth from 1,205 to 1,549, expanding India’s maritime presence.
• Capacity growth – Gross tonnage of Indian fleet rose from 10 million gross tonnes (MGT) to 13.52 MGT, enhancing shipping strength.
• Coastal shipping surge – Cargo movement nearly doubled from 87 MMT to 165 MMT, promoting cost-effective and eco-friendly transport modes.

How has India’s Inland Waterways evolved between 2014 and 2025?

• Cargo surge – As per the reports of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), the cargo movement rose from 18 MMT in 2014 to 146 MMT in 2025 — a 710% increase.
• Network expansion – No of operational waterways expanded from 3 to 29, enhancing India’s inland transport network.
• Infrastructure boost – Haldia Multi-Modal Terminal built with World Bank support, was handed over to IRC Natural Resources under the PPP model, enhancing inland waterway infrastructure and promoting multimodal logistics.
• Passenger growth – Ferry and Ro-Pax services (a ship that carries both vehicles and passengers) carried over 7.5 crore passengers in 2024–25, showing rising public preference for water-based travel.

How has India’s seafaring workforce evolved between 2014 and 2025?

• Workforce expansion – Increased from 1.25 lakh to over 3 lakh in 10 years, now represents 12% of the global seafaring workforce.
• Top supplier – Ranked among the world’s top three providers of trained seafarers.
• Career opportunities – Boosts prospects in navigation, ship operations, logistics, and maritime industries both domestically and internationally.

How the major investments made between 2014 and 2025 contributed to the transformation of India’s maritime sector?

• MIV 2030 Vision – Rs. 3–3.5 lakh crore projected across ports, shipping, and inland waterways.
• Shipbuilding boost – Rs. 69,725 crore package to revitalize the maritime ecosystem.
• Maritime Development Fund (MDF) – Rs. 25,000 crore for long-term financing of shipping and shipbuilding.
• Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme (SBFAS) – Rs. 24,736 crore to offset domestic cost disadvantages and promote ship-breaking.
• Shipbuilding Development Scheme (SbDS) – Rs. 19,989 crore for greenfield clusters, yard expansion, and risk coverage.
• Indian Ship Technology Centre (ISTC), Visakhapatnam – Rs. 305 crore hub for ship design, R&D, engineering, and skill development.
• Northeast infrastructure – Rs. 1,000+ crore has been invested in the development of Inland Waterway Infrastructure.
• River Tourism upgrade – 2 luxury cruise ships currently being built at the Hooghly Cochin Shipyard in Howrah, Kolkata .
• To launch in 2027, on Brahmaputra river to transform Assam’s river tourism landscape, under Cruise Bharat Mission.
• Sagarmala Programme – 840 projects are being implemented by 2035, which focuses on cutting logistics costs, enhancing trade efficiency, and creating employment through smarter, greener transport networks.

Sagarmala Programme is a flagship initiative to transform India into a global maritime hub - core pillar of the MIV 2030 & Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.

What are the future prospects?

• Strategic Vision – India’s maritime sector is entering a decisive decade, with new laws, mega projects, and global investment ambitions shaping the Maritime India Vision 2030.
• MIV 2030 & Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 outline a Rs. 80 lakh crore roadmap for ports, coastal shipping, inland waterways, shipbuilding, and green initiatives.

India is preparing to not only meet its trade demands but also emerge as a maritime leader.

• Focus on green corridors, green hydrogen bunkering at major ports, and methanol-fueled vessels to drive sustainable maritime operations.
• Over 300 actionable initiatives aim to position India among the top global maritime and shipbuilding powers by 2047.
• Major milestones & MoUs – At the Samudra Se Samriddhi event (Sept 2025), 27 MoUs worth Rs. 66,000 crore were signed.
• It aims at creating more than 1.5 lakh jobs across port infrastructure, shipping, shipbuilding, sustainable mobility, finance, and heritage.

What are the some of the notable projects  that further reinforce India’s vision?

• Bahuda Greenfield Port, Odisha – 150 MTPA capacity, with an expected investment of Rs. 21,500 crore.
• Patna Water Metro – Using electric ferry system, valued at around Rs. 908 crore.
• A strategic Vessel Owning Joint Venture Company between Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) & Oil Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) to reduce foreign fleet dependence and boost Indian-built ships.
• Shipbuilding MoUs – Across five states with major yard investments and financing tie-ups.
• Lothal Lighthouse Museum – Rs. 266 crore investment at the National Maritime Heritage Complex to preserve maritime heritage.
• Initiatives of New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) – 8 new projects including cruise gate for international tourists, 150-bed multi-speciality hospital under PPP mode, etc, to enhance user experience and operational capacity.

What lies ahead?

• With Maritime India Vision 2030, the nation is not just building ports, it’s building futures, empowering millions with jobs, skills, and sustainable growth.
• This is India’s moment to rise as a global maritime leader, proving that vision, strategy, and determination can turn waves into pathways of prosperity.

Quick Facts

Reference

PIB | India’s Maritime Path: From Vision 2030 to Amrit Kaal 2047