India aims to be self-sufficient in shipping and shipbuilding by 2047: Sonowal | Today’s news

India aims to handle its entire export-import by 2047 using Indian-flagged and domestically manufactured ships as part of plans to reduce dependence on foreign shipping and become a major global maritime power, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the third edition of Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue in New Delhi, Sonowal said the government’s Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 outlines a self-sustaining maritime ecosystem across ports, shipping, shipbuilding, ship repair, maritime education and skills.

“India wants to become self-sufficient in shipbuilding,” Sonowal said, adding that the long-term goal is to build enough domestic capacity to meet the country’s shipping requirements and reduce dependence on foreign-flagged vessels. India targets 10,000 million tonnes cargo handling port capacity by 2047, a substantial expansion from current levels as it strives to become a global maritime hub.

Quick answers to key questions

•4 QUESTIONS

India aims to handle its entire export-import by 2047 using domestically built Indian-flagged ships. It also wants to become self-sufficient in its entire maritime sector and rank among the world’s top five shipbuilding nations.

Building domestic capacity is to reduce dependence on foreign-flagged vessels and meet India’s own shipping requirements. The government also wants Indian shipyards to compete for international contracts.

Plans include expanding shipbuilding and repair infrastructure, improving ports and cargo handling, and strengthening maritime education and training. These efforts are intended to promote a skilled workforce and greater domestic transportation capacity.

India and European partners are exploring a green shipping corridor, with India having the potential to supply green fuels such as green ammonia and methanol. Ports would also need infrastructure to store, handle and export these fuels.

Read also | Green cargo hello: nuclear fuel shipping must not turn into another arms race

Ecosystem upgrade

The minister said the government was developing an ecosystem to enable Indian shipyards to compete for international contracts. Cochin Shipyardfor example, it has received shipbuilding orders from countries including Germany, the US and Norway, he said.

Sonowal said India also wants to become one of the world’s top five shipbuilding nations. The government is expanding infrastructure for shipbuilding and repair and strengthening maritime education and training to create the skilled workforce needed to support the industry.

India is already the world’s second largest supplier of seafarers, with the number of Indian seafarers growing from around 170,000 to more than 323,000, Sonowal said. The country also accounts for more than 36% of global ship recycling, he added.

The minister said improvements in port infrastructure and cargo handling systems have reduced the container turnaround time from more than 35 hours previously to around 23 hours. About 95% of India’s trade by volume is carried by sea, making maritime infrastructure critical to the country’s foreign trade.

Read also | India must quickly adapt to a world of geopolitical change and rising maritime risks

Sailors under fire

The minister also revealed the scale of the human cost of the ongoing maritime security crisis around the Strait of Hormuz, indicating that 11 Indian sailors have lost their lives so far amid attacks and incidents involving merchant vessels.

Sonowal said there were four incidents involving Indian-flagged ships, while 74 incidents involved foreign-flagged vessels bound for India carrying Indian sailors.

He said the government had evacuated more than 4,000 Indian sailors from the affected region. Through its maritime security and coordination mechanisms, it also maintains vessel-level monitoring and stays in touch with seafarers and their families. The government had earlier said it was tracking Indian sailors regardless of their vessel’s flag.

The latest figures cited by Sonowal indicate that the security problem extends far beyond Indian-flagged vessels, given the large number of Indian seafarers employed on foreign-flagged ships. India has the second largest maritime workforce in the world, so the safety of its seafarers is an important part of the country’s maritime policy.

Read also | Can India become the world’s next marine manufacturing hub?

Naval Alliance

Sonowal said India is also using Sagarmanthan to deepen bilateral maritime cooperation. Discussions were held with delegations from Belgium, Myanmar, Lithuania and Bhutan and other countries.

Belgium has expressed interest in working with India on green shipping and related maritime initiatives, he said. Negotiations with Saudi Arabia are also progressing towards institutional cooperation mechanisms, including in the energy sector.

Bhutan, meanwhile, is interested in using India’s river ports and inland waterways to move its export cargo, Sonowal said. India is developing a network of river ports and inland waterways infrastructure that could provide neighboring landlocked countries with access to maritime trade routes.

The minister said that India’s maritime infrastructure should not only serve domestic cargo but also provide neighboring countries with efficient access to international markets.

The third annual Sagarmanthan attracted participation from more than 70 countries, including ministers, representatives of the maritime industry and international experts. Sonowal said the growing participation demonstrates the growing importance of the dialogue as a platform for cooperation in shipping, shipbuilding, ports, maritime security and the wider ocean economy.

The government’s long-term maritime strategy, he said, is aimed at combining higher port capacity with indigenous shipbuilding, a larger Indian-flagged fleet, a skilled workforce and stronger regional connectivity to make India a self-sufficient maritime economy by 2047.