Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has said India is expanding its port capacity six-fold to reach 10,000 million tonnes per annum by 2047.
This marks the country’s largest-ever maritime infrastructure drive as India positions itself as a global shipping hub.
“We aim to be among the top five shipping nations in the world,’’ the minister said while inaugurating the second edition of the two-day Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Ports conclave here on Monday.
The minister emphasized aspects like the acceleration of growth through BIMSTEC cooperation, developing a maritime dashboard for project monitoring, promoting PPP models in port infrastructure, encouraging cruise tourism, and advancing coastal economic zones. He also stressed the need to finalise the maritime transport agreement and transform the Bay of Bengal into a global hub for trade and tourism.
“Together, we sail towards a connected, resilient and prosperous BIMSTEC maritime future,” he stated.
The event hosted representatives from seven BIMSTEC nations — Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, besides India.
Minister of State for Ports and Shipping Shantanu Thakur underlined the importance of BIMSTEC in bridging South and Southeast Asia and the opportunities it presents in realigning global supply chains. Vizag MP, M Sribharat, stated that port-led development would accelerate in the state under the present dispensation. He said the state was developing four new ports and aimed at establishing a port every 50km along the coastline.
In his keynote address, the initiative’s secretary general, Indra Mani Pandey, presented the BIMSTEC Vision 2030, which provided a structured roadmap for cooperation. He said 267 projects under the BIMSTEC Master Plan for transport connectivity were underway.
He proposed setting up a BIMSTEC centre of excellence in maritime transport in Visakhapatnam and discussed initiatives like real-time cargo tracking and green port practices.
Secretary to the Ministry of Ports and Shipping, TK Ramachandran, spoke on bridging infrastructure gaps, overcoming fragmented logistics and improving the use of maritime routes. He highlighted the ‘one nation-one port process’ for process standardization, a BIMSTEC-wide maritime skill certification system, and measures to boost coastal shipping and cruise tourism.
In his welcome address, Visakhapatnam Port Authority Chairman Dr M Angamuthu highlighted Visakhapatnam’s strategic maritime significance and called for collaboration in port-led industrialization, digital integration and maritime skill development.
He also emphasized the role of Visakhapatnam as a hub for maritime education through the Centre of Excellence in Maritime Skill Development (CEMS).