Knowledge Nugget: India Maritime Week 2025 — key highlights and schemes for your UPSC Exam

Why in the news?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mumbai on Wednesday, October 29, to address the Maritime Leaders Conclave and chair the Global Maritime CEO Forum at India Maritime Week (MW) 2025, at the NESCO Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. While addressing the India Maritime Week-2025, PM Modi stated that India is ready to play the role of a steady lighthouse, providing global players with vast opportunities for expansion and investment in the country’s maritime sector, which has massive potential.

Key takeaways:

1. IMW 2025 is being hosted by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) from October 27 to 31 at NESCO Grounds in Mumbai. The stated objective is to provide a forum for global stakeholders to discuss innovation, sustainability, and growth in the maritime domain.

2. The theme of IMW 2025 is ‘Uniting Oceans, One Maritime Vision’ – reflects the timeless Indian ethos of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. With 11,000 kilometres of coastline and 13 coastal states and Union Territories, India has the strategic advantage of location, this conference provides an opportunity for global investors to “explore opportunities.”

3. The government has decided an investment of Rs 70,000 crore in the maritime sector to boost domestic capacity, build greenfield and brownfield shipyards with an ecosystem that brings both investment opportunities and jobs to lakhs of people, the PM said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits a stall at an exhibition during the Maritime Leaders Conclave at the India Maritime Week 2025 event, in Mumbai. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is also seen. (PMO via PTI Photo)

4. Highlighting the achievements of the Indian Maritime sector, Modi said that India’s first deep-water international transshipment hub, Vizhinjam Port, became operational this year. Showcasing India’s Global capabilities, this port hosted the world’s largest container vessel, MSC IRINA. Kandla Port also made history by launching the nation’s first megawatt-scale indigenous green hydrogen facility.

5. At the Green Maritime Day session, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, noted that India’s maritime sector forms the backbone of its economy, with over 95% of the nation’s trade by volume moving through the sea.

6. Under the Net Zero by 2070 commitment, India aims to reduce carbon emissions per ton of cargo by 30% by 2030 and 70% by 2047, making the sector a key driver of climate action.

6. The logo of the proposed National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal in Gujarat was unveiled by Sonowal on the second day of India Maritime Week 2025 in Mumbai.

Government initiatives in the maritime sector

Addressing the India Maritime Week-2025, which has participants from more than 85 countries, Modi spoke about the reforms undertaken in the past 10 years to give new impetus to the maritime sector. Here is a look at important government initiatives in the maritime sector.

(i) Maritime India Vision 2030: Launched in 2021, Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030 provides a comprehensive framework for the holistic development of India’s maritime sector, encompassing ports, shipping, and waterways. MIV 2030 outlines more than 150 initiatives aimed at propelling India to global maritime leadership.

(ii) Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047: With an investment outlay of nearly ₹80 lakh crore, Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 provides a long-term roadmap for India’s maritime resurgence for ports, coastal shipping, inland waterways, shipbuilding, and green shipping initiatives. As part of green shipping initiatives, the government is setting up green corridors, introducing green hydrogen bunkering at major ports, and promoting the use of methanol-fueled vessels.

(iii) Sagarmala Programme: Launched in 2015, Sagarmala Programme forms the core pillar of the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.  It aims to streamline logistics, reduce costs, and enhance international trade competitiveness by shifting from traditional, infrastructure-heavy transport to efficient coastal and waterway networks. The program focuses on port modernization, industrial growth, job creation, and sustainable coastal development, ensuring minimal infrastructure investment while maximizing economic impact.

(iv) Jalvahak Scheme: Launched last year, Jalvahak scheme is a major policy for Cargo Promotion incentivising movement of long haul cargo via National Waterways 1 (river Ganga) as well as for National Waterways 2 (river Brahmaputra) and National Waterways 16 (river Barak). It encourages reducing logistics costs, decongesting roads and railways, and adapting to a sustainable mode of transportation.

(v) National Logistics Portal-Marine: It was launched on 27th March 2023 to provide a one-stop platform to connect all the stakeholders of the logistics community using IT. It aims to improve efficiency and transparency by reducing costs and time delays and achieving easier, faster, and more competitive offerings of services, to promote the growth of the logistics sector and thereby improve trade.

(vi) Cruise Bharat Mission: It was launched on 30th September 2024 with the aim to provide a whole-of-government approach to develop the Cruise Sector by involving various Central and State Government agencies. The River Cruise Tourism Roadmap, 2047 aims to achieve global benchmarks for cruise tourism, green corridors, and world-class facilities by 2047.

BEYOND THE NUGGET: World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index

1. Claiming that Indian ports are at par or at times ahead of the ports in developed nations, the PM said that the World Bank Logistic Performance Index (LPI) has acknowledged remarkable improvement in the maritime sector.

2. According to the latest World bank’s LPI, India has climbed six places on the LPI 2023, now ranking 38th in the 139 countries index. India was ranked 44th on the index in 2018 and has now climbed to 38th in the 2023 listing. India’s performance has drastically improved from 2014, when it was ranked 54th on the LPI.

3. The LPI covers 139 countries, measures the ease of establishing reliable supply chain connections and the structural factors that make it possible, such as the quality of logistics services, trade and transport-related infrastructure, and border controls.

Post Read Question

What is India’s rank in the Logistics Performance Index out of 139 countries, as per the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI) Report 2023? (APPSC)

(a) 44

(b) 24

(c) 38

(d) 47

(Sources: PM Narendra Modi arrives at India Maritime Week 2025 at Mumbai, India Maritime Week 2025: India ready to play the role of a steady lighthouse, says PM Modi, India’s potential and strategic maritime location advantage bridged Indo-Pacific and Global South: Amit Shah, shipmin.gov.in)

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