Charting the Blue Economy: India's Next Growth Wave

India is becoming a major maritime power and is being recognised as a reliable and responsible partner—ready to play the role of a steady lighthouse for the world.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India Maritime Week 2025

- Mukul Varma

At the five-day India Maritime Week, themed “Uniting Oceans, One Maritime Vision,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlined an expansive vision for India’s maritime resurgence. Against a backdrop of global trade disruptions and shifting supply chains, the Prime Minister positioned India as a “steady lighthouse”—a nation defined by reliability, resilience, and reform.

“When the global seas are rough, the world looks for a steady lighthouse. India is well poised to play that role with strength and stability,” he said, calling the current moment “the right time to work and expand in India’s shipping sector.”

Over the past decade, India’s maritime sector has undergone a historic transformation. Major port capacity has doubled, turnaround time for vessels has fallen from 96 to 48 hours, and container dwell time has been cut to less than three days—on par with some of the world’s best-performing ports.

Cruise tourism has gathered momentum, while inland waterways have witnessed a remarkable 700% growth in cargo movement, expanding from just three operational routes to thirty-two. “India’s ports,” Modi said, “are now counted among the most efficient in the developing world—in some areas, even outperforming those in developed nations.”

The net annual surplus of Indian ports has grown ninefold in a decade, while Kandla Port has launched India’s first megawatt-scale indigenous green hydrogen facility, underlining the government’s commitment to sustainability and innovation.

India’s maritime rise, the Prime Minister emphasized, is not a coincidence but the result of policy reform and strategic clarity. “We have replaced over a century-old colonial shipping laws with modern, futuristic legislation tailored for the 21st century,” he said. “These laws strengthen the role of State Maritime Boards, prioritise safety and sustainability, and promote digital integration in port management.”