Reforms will position ports among world's most efficient

In an email interview, Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal tells Devabrata Dutta how India is steering maritime expansion towards self-reliance and efficiency. Edited excerpts

- Devabrata Dutta

You have talked about a long-horizon maritime capex push through 2047. What near-term milestones will cut exporters' logistics costs?

India's long-horizon maritime capex roadmap to 2047 is being implemented with clear near-term milestones. Between 2024 and 2026, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways prioritised ₹1.05 lakh crore in investments under Sagarmala 2.0, PM Gati Shakti and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.

For 2025–26, key targets include reducing average vessel TRT [turnaround time] from 49.5 hours to 48.2, container TRT from 30.1 hours to 28.8 and export dwell time from 86.1 hours to 79.7. These improvements will cut logistics costs by 5–8%.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, major ports are leading capacity expansion, while ONOP [One Nation-One Port] and Maritime Single Window 2.0 reforms are digitising clearances and slashing vessel idle time.

Major ports crossed 855 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 2024-25 with strong container growth. Where do you still see operational slack?

Thanks to the reforms in the ports sector, 2024-25 was a landmark year. Our focus in 2025-26 is on unlocking further efficiency in vessel turnaround, dwell times and berth productivity.

Key ports—JNPA [Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority], Paradip, Deendayal, Kamarajar, Cochin and Visakhapatnam—are implementing upgrades and connectivity projects under the CPCP [Comprehensive Port Connectivity Plan]. These reforms will raise major port traffic to 904MMT in 2025-26, reduce export costs by up to 8% and position Indian ports among the world’s most efficient by 2030.