The National Shipping Board (NSB) has called for a five-point policy roadmap aimed at strengthening India’s merchant shipping sector and adding 100 vessels to the country’s fleet over the next five years.
The roadmap was outlined at the inaugural ‘Sagar Samvad’, a day-long maritime dialogue organised by the NSB under the theme “Charting the Roadmap Towards Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.” The event brought together senior government officials, shipowners, financiers, maritime experts, industry representatives and young cadets.
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, who chaired the inaugural session, welcomed the NSB’s five-point roadmap comprising fiscal reform, assured cargo support, access to competitive financing, regulatory streamlining and improved ease of doing business (EODB).
“Taken together, these are not five separate tasks; they are the architecture of a nation choosing, at last, to own its own trade,” Sonowal said, stressing the need for Indian shipowners to participate in the country’s expanding maritime economy.
The Minister also highlighted India’s ambition to increase port capacity to 10,000 million tonnes annually by 2047, saying the NSB must ensure that Indian shipowners benefit from this growth rather than leaving a larger share of the country’s trade to foreign shipping lines.
Competitiveness remains a major challenge
A key session on “Augmentation of Indian Tonnage: Opportunities and Challenges”, chaired by Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur, focused on the competitiveness of Indian-flagged vessels.
Thakur said India pays nearly $75 billion annually in freight to foreign shipping lines for transporting critical commodities including crude oil, gas, coal and urea.
“India pays close to $75 billion every year in freight to foreign shipping lines… We must command our own waterline,” Thakur said.
Industry representatives said operating under the Indian flag remains 16% to 20% more expensive than operating under a foreign flag. The cost disadvantage was attributed to taxes on ship imports and maintenance services, taxation of seafarer wages, taxes on freight and higher domestic financing costs.
The panel also pointed to the challenge posed by the Right of First Refusal (RoFR) mechanism, under which Indian shipowners are required to match foreign freight rates to secure cargo, despite carrying higher operating costs.
The panel argued that addressing these structural disadvantages could enable India to add 100 vessels to its merchant fleet within five years, supporting the long-term objective of becoming one of the world’s top five ship-owning nations by 2047.
NSB submits annual report and policy recommendations
NSB Chairperson Sameer Kumar Khare submitted the board’s Annual Report for 2025-26, along with reports of its various subcommittees containing policy recommendations for the government.
The inaugural Sagar Samvad also marked the launch of the NSB’s first official website.
Khare said the initiative was aligned with the government’s vision of placing the blue economy at the centre of India’s development strategy under Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
The NSB, a statutory advisory body under the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, advises the government on shipping policy, tonnage, seafarer welfare and port-linked maritime development.
Focus on India’s maritime workforce
Another major session, “Maritime Labour Force: Opportunities & Challenges,” was chaired by Union Minister for Labour and Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports Mansukh Mandaviya.
The session examined employment opportunities, seafarer skills, workforce development, wage taxation, pension-related gaps and welfare provisions affecting Indian seafarers.
Mandaviya said India has an opportunity to become one of the world’s leading suppliers of skilled maritime professionals while creating high-quality employment for its young workforce.
He called for coordinated action among the government, maritime industry, trade bodies and training institutions to expand training capacity, improve employment opportunities and strengthen market outreach for Indian seafarers.
Mandaviya also highlighted the need to address gender disparity in maritime employment and develop specialised skills for emerging segments such as cruise shipping and advanced shipbuilding.
“A skilled and future-ready maritime workforce will be central to achieving our Maritime India Vision 2030 and building India’s shipbuilding capabilities under Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047,” he said.
Youth participation and container manufacturing
Sonowal also interacted with trainee officers from maritime training institutes, describing the sector’s young workforce as its “Yuva Shakti.”
The Minister highlighted the progress of the government’s ₹10,000-crore Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme, noting that global shipping major Maersk has placed orders for containers manufactured in India.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening domestic container manufacturing capacity and reducing dependence on overseas suppliers.
Five pillars for a stronger Indian fleet
The discussions at Sagar Samvad ultimately centred on five key interventions required to improve the competitiveness of Indian shipowners:
Fiscal reforms to reduce the cost disadvantage of Indian-flagged vessels.
Assured cargo support to provide greater demand visibility for Indian shipowners.
Competitive financing to improve access to affordable capital for fleet expansion.
Regulatory streamlining to reduce compliance burdens and improve operational efficiency.
Improved ease of doing business to create a more competitive environment for Indian maritime enterprises.
The NSB believes that implementation of these measures can help accelerate fleet expansion and strengthen India’s ability to retain a greater share of its international trade within an Indian-owned and Indian-controlled maritime ecosystem.
The first edition of Sagar Samvad thus brought policymakers, industry leaders, maritime professionals and young seafarers together to deliberate on the structural reforms needed to build a stronger, more competitive and future-ready Indian maritime sector as the country works towards its Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.