India

India Targets 100% Domestic Shipping Fleet by 2047

By Subhash Narayan

Union minister for ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said on Wednesday that India plans to use only Indian‑flagged, domestically built ships for all its export‑import trade by 2047. The goal is part of the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, which aims to create a self‑reliant maritime ecosystem covering ports, shipping, shipbuilding, ship repair, maritime education and skills. Sonowal said the long‑term objective is to build enough domestic capacity to meet India’s shipping needs and reduce dependence on foreign‑flagged vessels. The government also wants Indian shipyards to compete for international orders and to place India among the world’s top five shipbuilding nations. India is targeting a port cargo‑handling capacity of 10,000 million tonnes by 2047, a substantial expansion from current levels, as it seeks to position itself as a global maritime hub. The minister noted that India is already the world’s second‑largest supplier of seafarers, with the number of Indian seafarers rising from around 170,000 to more than 323,000, and that the country accounts for more than 36 % of global ship recycling. Improvements in port infrastructure and cargo‑handling systems have reduced container turnaround time from more than 35 hours to about 23 hours. About 95 % of India’s trade by volume is transported by sea, making maritime infrastructure critical to the country’s external trade. Sonowal also highlighted the human cost of the maritime security crisis around the Strait of Hormuz, noting that 11 Indian seafarers have lost their lives amid attacks and incidents involving commercial vessels. He said there have been four incidents involving Indian‑flagged ships, while 74 incidents involved foreign‑flagged vessels bound for India and carrying Indian seafarers. The government has evacuated more than 4,000 Indian seafarers from the affected region and maintains vessel‑level monitoring and contact with seafarers and their families through its maritime security and coordination mechanisms. The minister said India is using the third edition of Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue to deepen bilateral maritime cooperation, with delegations from Belgium, Myanmar, Lithuania, Bhutan and others. Belgium has expressed interest in working with India on green shipping and related maritime initiatives. Discussions with Saudi Arabia are progressing toward institutional mechanisms for cooperation, including in the energy sector. Bhutan is interested in using India’s river ports and inland waterways to move its export cargo. India is developing a network of river ports and inland‑waterway infrastructure that could provide neighbouring landlocked countries with access to maritime trade routes. The dialogue attracted participation from more than 70 countries, including ministers, maritime industry representatives and international experts, underscoring its growing importance as a platform for cooperation on shipping, shipbuilding, ports, maritime security and the wider ocean economy. The government’s long‑term maritime strategy is aimed at combining higher port capacity with domestic shipbuilding, a larger Indian‑flagged fleet, skilled manpower and stronger regional connectivity to make India a self‑reliant maritime economy by 2047.