India is taking a new path in international container shipping to regain billions lost in transshipment charges and become a vital crossroads between Europe, Africa, and Asia. Previously, around 75% of India’s transshipped cargo was dealt with overseas—mainly through Colombo, Singapore, and Klang—and India’s ports merely waited on the sidelines as foreign ports harvested the benefits of its traffic streams. And now, a mix of strategic investments, high-tech infrastructure ventures, and ambitious government initiatives is turning the balance in favor of India.
Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala made headlines last month when the world’s largest container ship, MSC Irina, almost 400 meters long and carrying over 24,000 TEUs, docked for the first time in a port in South Asia. Sailing from Singapore on June 3 and arriving in Indian waters, the success of the vessel’s maiden call at the port reiterates Vizhinjam’s capability in accepting Ultra-Large Container Vessels and marks a new era in India’s transshipment saga. Apart from the pageantry, it is an important step in directing more cargo onto Indian soil.
On India’s west coast, the country’s largest container port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), is building an enormous ₹30,000 crore debt-backed expansion (some $3.6 billion), which will add new terminals and specialized cargo-handling facilities. It plans to double the handling capacity, improve efficiency, and reduce congestion, thus making it an attractive call for big shipping lines. Enabling port connectivity, a new six-lane, access-controlled highway will connect JNPT with Old Pune Road at an estimated cost of ₹4,500 crore (about $540 million) and reduce transit time and cost for hinterland traffic.
In the future, the International Container Transshipment Port, which is planned at Galathea Bay on Great Nicobar Island, is the most ambitious project. Estimated to cost ₹44,000 crore, or around $5.28 billion, the deep-water port, only 40 nautical miles from the Malacca Strait, would be able to transship 16 million TEUs in its full phase. If constructed according to plans, it would divert a significant percentage of Asia–Africa and Asia–Europe traffic that bypasses India at present, and the nation would become a leading regional hub.
These marquee projects come under the government’s Sagarmala program, which seeks to take advantage of India’s 7,517 km coastline and 14,500 km of potentially navigable waterways to lower logistics costs, enhance connectivity, and stimulate port-led growth. Under this umbrella are inland dry ports such as Jalna—a 500-acre facility by CONCOR—currently in operation, reaching multimodal logistics to the hinterland and offering container capacity to millions of TEUs.
The fruits of their labor are already beginning to show. Cargo handled at India’s large ports increased by 4.3% to a record 855 million tonnes during the 2024–25 financial year, while container cargo increased 10% on the strength of these strategic gains. Private sector participants are also gaining: Adani Ports & SEZ logged an 8% increase in cargo in FY25, surpassing net profit to ₹30.14 billion ($356 million) in the March quarter and leading revenue growth of up to 22.2% in FY26.
Collectively, these enhancements signify a significant shift in Indian shipping. By re-winning transshipment traffic, reducing transit charges, and leveraging its geography, India is not really creating port capacity—it’s rewriting the script of global container trade. As the MSC Irina and other giants of the high seas bring their ships to make landfall onto Indian quays, there’s one thing for certain: the tides are turning, and India is poised to chart the course of global shipping for generations to come.
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