India to be among top 5 ship building countries: Shah

The maritime sector would play a vital role in expanding India’s influence in international trade and logistics, the home minister stated

Mumbai: Home minister Amit Shah on Monday declared that the union government was aiming to achieve 10,000 million metric tonnes per year of port handling capacity and place India among the top five countries in the global shipbuilding industry.

Amit Shah (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

“Our goal is to become one of the top five ship building countries of the world and hence we are developing new mega and deep draft ports…We have completed the road map to connect maritime industry with the world industry,” Shah said after inaugurating the India Maritime Week 2025 at the NESCO Exhibition Centre in Mumbai.

The home minister said that flagship initiatives such as SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), ‘SagarMala’, ‘Blue Economy’, and the Green Maritime Vision were all aimed at enhancing port infrastructure, promoting environmental sustainability, and strengthening regional cooperation.

“We have digitised port transport, and have connected with major connectivity projects such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, the Eastern Maritime Corridor and the North-South Transport Corridor. We have increased our annual budget six times from $40 million to $230 million. We are developing the Great Nicobar Project by investing $5 billion, which will increase the maritime business of the country to manyfold,” the union home minister said.

Shah said the government was developing the biggest dry dock in Cochin shipyard with an investment of $200 million and also developing the maritime heritage complex in Gujarat, for which reforms had been made in consonance with international laws. In the past one decade,. India had recorded 118% hike in coastal security and 150% hike in cargo handling, he said.

“By spending another $10 billion, we are developing the Vadhavan port near Mumbai, which will be one of the five biggest ports in the world from the day it starts functioning,” the home minister said.

“Bharat is steering towards becoming a global maritime powerhouse through a series of strategic and future-oriented initiatives,” Shah underlined. The government was aiming for a green maritime future which would not only speed up development but also maintain an environmental balance, he said.

“Bharat has not forgotten that small islands and many countries of the global south are dependent on the sea for their livelihood. Climate change has become a matter of their existence considering this, Bharat and the world want to develop an ocean which is green, prosperous and can be shared by all,” Shah said.

The maritime sector would play a vital role in expanding India’s influence in international trade and logistics, the home minister stated. He was accompanied by union minister of ports, shipping and waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal; and minister of state for ports, shipping and waterways, Shantanu Thakur.

The chief ministers of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Odisha graced the first day of the India Maritime Week on Monday. Apart from them, 12 foreign ministers, seven union ministers, and ministers from 16 states will participate in the event, where 680 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with an investment potential of ₹10 lakh crore are likely to be signed, generating 700,000 job opportunities. Around 500 companies and 100,000 delegates are expected to participate in the five-day event.

Boats for fishing co-ops

Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday handed over two deep-sea fishing vessels at the Mazgaon dock to fishermen’s cooperatives under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojna (PMMSY). Cooperative movements had played a key role in bringing prosperity to the dairy and sugar industries across the country and the state, and a similar ecosystem based on principles of cooperation would be developed in the fisheries sector over the next five years, he said.

“Under the PMMSY, 14 boats will be distributed to cooperative societies across the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target of launching at least 200 boats into the sea within the next five years,” Shah said. The scheme would prove extremely beneficial for fishermen in the near future as it would benefit them directly and help increase the country’s fisheries potential, he said.

Shah said that each boat would be able to stay at sea for 25 days, catching up to 20 tonnes of fish. A larger vessel would also be provided to collect fish from these boats and bring them to shore.

“The profits from these operations will directly reach the fishermen, improving their financial condition. India’s 1,199-kilometre coastline offers immense potential, and the central government aims to ensure that this potential benefits as many fishermen as possible,” he said.