Delivering the keynote address at the Maritime Financing Summit in New Delhi, Sonowal underscored the maritime sector’s vital role in realising the vision of a developed India by 2047. India’s ports sector is undergoing a remarkable transformation, with marked improvements in turnaround time, port capacity, investment inflows, and customs clearance, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping...
Category: Ports & Shipping
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India’s Rajya Sabha Passes Bills of Lading, 2025: A Landmark Maritime Reform
Once enacted, it will replace the 169-year-old colonial-era Indian Bills of Lading Act, 1856, establishing a simplified and globally aligned legal framework for maritime shipping documentation in India. In a significant boost to India’s ports and shipping sector, the Rajya Sabha passed the Bills of Lading, 2025, on the first day of its monsoon session...
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From Trade to Tourism, Sonowal Envisions a New Global Role for BIMSTEC
Inaugurating the two-day BIMSTEC Ports Conclave, Sarbananda Sonowal also announced the establishment of a Sustainable Maritime Transport Centre aimed at catalysing maritime policies, advancing digital and green transformation, and building the skills and capacity of the region’s maritime workforce. Given India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy, BIMSTEC could serve as a powerful springboard to unlock the immense...
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₹50 Billion Boost for Northeast Waterways; Kaladan Project to be Operational by 2027: Sonowal
The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways also announced that the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Project, linking India’s Northeast with Myanmar, would be operational by 2027. The government has allocated ₹50 billion for the development of waterways and the maritime sector in India’s northeastern region, according to Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and...
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Multimodal Logistics: Optimising Assets, Strengthening Supply Chains
Multimodal logistics, connecting ports to the hinterland, empowers businesses to adopt diverse end-to-end transport solutions that enhance efficiency and strengthen supply chains, writes Adhendru Jain. The global trade landscape is in a state of flux, shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, shifting economic priorities and increasing demands for sustainable operations. According to an analysis by an international...
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Major Ports Handle Record Cargo Throughput in FY2025
As India expands its global trade footprint and modernises its logistics infrastructure, the country’s major ports have recorded an impressive 4.3 per cent annual growth in cargo handling, increasing from 819 million tonnes (MT) in FY 2023-24 to 855 MT in FY 2024-25. This growth was driven by higher container throughput (10 per cent), fertiliser...
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Greening India’s Freight Economy
As India’s freight volumes continue to expand, the associated CO2 emissions are rising just as rapidly. To establish itself as a global leader in sustainable logistics, the country must pursue bolder, deeper, and more deliberate systemic reforms, argues Vivek Lohia. India is moving fast, whether by roads, rails, and across seas. With its freight economy...
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The New Power Corridor
The nations involved in the proposed IMEC collectively account for nearly half of global GDP, totalling $47 trillion. Therefore, to fully unlock the benefits of this multilateral initiative of immense geopolitical significance, they must work towards resolving security concerns and harmonising trading regulations, writes Manish Pant. Experts often refer to the proposed India-Middle East-Europe Economic...
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Shapoorji Pallonji divests Gopalpur port for Rs 33.5 bn
The Shapoorji Pallonji Group announced the sale of its Brownfield Gopalpur Port to Adani Ports and SEZ for an enterprise value of Rs 33.5 billion. This is the second port divestment in the last few months from the diversified construction and infrastructure, real estate and energy conglomerate. It had earlier divested its Dharamtar Port to...
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Rs. 410-bn Great Nicobar Island transhipment port project invites EOI
Proposed port will have handling capacity of 16 mn containers per year The Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways would soon invite expressions of interest (EOI) from interested parties for an international transhipment port project to be built at Great Nicobar Island in the Bay of Bengal. The project is anticipated to cost Rs. 410...