Building strategic international alliances in the maritime & port sector
NEW DELHI : The Union Minister for Port Shipping and waterways informed in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha that the Indian Government has been actively engaging with foreign Governments, multilateral organisations and global maritime industry partners for collaboration in ports, shipping and maritime geo-logistics. These include partnerships for port modernisation, development of shipping infrastructure, green shipping initiatives, digitization and maritime skill development. Notable recent engagements include India- Russia partnership to explore Northern Sea Route, Eastern Maritime Corridor & training of Indian Seafarers in Polar Waters, Indo-Danish Centre of Excellence in Green Shipping and India-Singapore partnership for Green & Digital Shipping Corridor. The Government, through Joint Working Group meetings/bilateral meetings and Memorandum of Understanding/ letter of Intent etc. has engaged with maritime countries like Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Oman etc to explore avenues for possible collaboration.
The India Maritime Week 2025, held in Mumbai from 27–31 October 2025, elicited participation from over 85 countries, with more than 100,000 delegates and stakeholders taking part
The Government has recently undertaken major legislative reforms to modernize India’s maritime governance and legal architecture. Key legislations passed recently by Parliament include the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, the Coastal Shipping Act, 2025, the Indian Ports Act, 2025, the Bills of Lading Act, 2025, The Marine Aids to Navigation Act,2021 and the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, 2025. In order to enhance autonomy, provide greater flexibility, and attract private investment, the Major Port Authority Act, 2021 (replacing the Major Port Trust Act, 1963 has been enacted.
Multiple initiatives have been undertaken to strengthen port and maritime activities. They include One Nation One Port initiative to standardize operations across all ports, mechanisation and promotion of PPP wherever feasible, digitization of port operational processes, implementation of Harit Sagar Green Port Guidelines 2023 to promote renewable energy adoption, Establishment of Green Hydrogen/ Green Ammonia hubs in 3 major ports under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, Inland waterways modernisation under Jal Marg Vikas Project for energy-efficient cargo movement.