Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari, today addressed the India Maritime Week 2025 in Mumbai, emphasizing the theme “Innovative Mechanisms for Ship Financing.”
Highlighting the vast potential of India’s maritime sector—estimated to be worth nearly USD 1 trillion (₹84 lakh crore)—Shri Gadkari underscored the opportunities for investment across ports, shipping, and logistics. Drawing parallels with his ministry’s success in the roads sector, he noted that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had mobilized ₹1.4 lakh crore through Toll Operate Transfer (ToT), Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs), and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models, which raised private participation from 10% to 35%.
He suggested that adopting similar financing mechanisms in the maritime domain could accelerate project execution, enhance quality standards, and reduce the financial load on the government by leveraging private sector innovation and efficiency.
During the event, Shri Gadkari also launched the CMEG (RIS) – India Maritime Report 2025-26, titled “Uniting Oceans, One Maritime Vision: India’s Maritime Strides.”
Commending Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, for steering Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s Sagarmala 2.0 vision, Shri Gadkari highlighted the initiative’s focus on shipbuilding, ship repair and recycling, port modernization, coastal economic development, and inland waterway revitalization.
He concluded by stating that private innovation, transparent governance, and time-bound project delivery are key to reinforcing global confidence in India’s maritime leadership and competitiveness.