India’s Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, announced at an ambassadors’ conference in New Delhi on Wednesday that the country will launch a $1 trillion investment plan to comprehensively upgrade its ports, shipping, and logistics infrastructure. This roundtable meeting, which brought together representatives from 28 countries and industry stakeholders, served as a precursor to the India Maritime Week 2025, scheduled to be held in Mumbai from October 27 to 31.
Sonowal pointed out that this investment roadmap focuses on five key areas: port and cargo terminal construction, development of multi-modal hubs, shipbuilding, ship recycling and repair industries, while also prioritizing the layout of green hydrogen, ship fuel bunkering, and sustainable shipping. In his address, he emphasized: “India’s maritime sector is opening a new chapter. These opportunities hold a market potential of trillions of dollars, providing vast space for global joint ventures and cooperation.”
The conference presentations highlighted flagship projects such as the Vadhavan Deep Sea Port, the Galaxia Bay Transshipment Hub, and the Tuna Tekra Terminal, and detailed investment opportunities in LNG bunkering, hydrogen hubs, and maritime industrial parks. The discussion session revealed that India is focusing on expanding shipbuilding capacity, deepening the “port-led economic development” model, and accelerating the digitalization of its logistics system.
This strategic announcement coincides with a series of major initiatives being intensively advanced in India’s maritime sector. Recently, APM Terminals signed a $1 billion agreement to modernize and operate three ports in Andhra Pradesh; meanwhile, the Shipping Corporation of India launched a $2.3 billion new shipbuilding plan, intending to order 26 domestically built vessels, adding 1.18 million gross tonnage of capacity, further solidifying the development goals of the local shipbuilding industry.
