The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways emphasised significant opportunities for Omani companies to participate in India’s rapidly expanding port and maritime sector.
On the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between India and Oman, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal called for closer collaboration to establish a green shipping corridor between the two nations during his recent visit there.
Sonowal, who welcomed the crew of INSV Kaundinya—a stitched‑plank ship built using traditional techniques under Project Kaundinya—upon its arrival in Muscat on Wednesday, also met Engineer Said bin Hamood bin Said Al Mawali, Oman’s Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, to discuss maritime cooperation.
He highlighted significant opportunities for Omani companies to participate in India’s rapidly expanding port and maritime sector. India’s flagship port‑led infrastructure projects offer attractive avenues for investment under the public‑private partnership framework. These include the Vadhavan Port project in Maharashtra, with an estimated investment of $9 billion and a planned capacity of 23 million twenty‑foot equivalent units (TEUs), and the Tuticorin Outer Harbour Project in Tamil Nadu, valued at $1.3 billion with a capacity of 4 million TEUs.
Sonowal also outlined India’s $8.4 billion maritime development package aimed at strengthening the shipbuilding ecosystem. The initiative focuses on the creation of shipbuilding clusters, shipbuilding‑led industrialisation, dedicated research and development support, and the establishment of a Maritime Development Fund. He proposed the establishment of a green shipping corridor between India and Oman as a key area of future collaboration.
The minister further welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries on maritime heritage and museums, noting that it would deepen cooperation and further enrich their shared maritime history.