India has devised an ambitious roadmap for its maritime future. With the Maritime India Vision 2030, the government has announced an investment package of about $34.1-$39.8 billion (₹3-3.5 lakh crore), a bet for the decades to modernize ports, expand shipping, and unleash inland waterways as low-cost logistic arteries.
Together with an announced ₹69,725 crore boost to shipbuilding and support for the industrial ecosystem, roughly $7.9 billion, it sounds less like incremental repair and more like a large-scale shipshape makeover. The money will be used to speed up turnaround at ports, create larger fleets under the Indian flag, create greener yards, and focus on coastal and river transport as mainstream methods.
The current findings are certainly impressive. Total port capacity has risen significantly over the past decade, growing from 1,400 MMTPA to 2,762 MMTPA, and cargo handled at Indian ports has increased from 972 million tonnes to 1,594 million tonnes—these are impressive numbers that reflect India’s transition from being regionally based as a maritime economy to being part of a global trading network. Average vessel turnaround time has been significantly reduced from 93 hours to 48 hours, which means lower costs for importers and exporters.
If increased use of inland waterways ever felt like it was a distant possibility, the past decade has radically shifted the conversation. Cargo movement on national waterways increased from 18 MMT in 2014 to 146 MMT in 2025—an increase of more than 710%—while operational waterways increased from 3 to 29. Projects such as the Haldia Multi-Modal Terminal (capacity ~3.08 MMTPA) are examples of how river ports and PPP models are linking seaborne logistics with inland logistics into a unified product offering.
The human element of the maritime story is quite remarkable. The fleet of Indian seafarers increased from 125,000 to in excess of 300,000 over the period, which means that they now represent close to 12% of the global seafaring workforce, situating India among the top three countries supplying trained maritime professionals worldwide. Furthermore, ferry and Ro-Pax services transported in excess of 75 million passengers in 2024–25 alone, which points to a substantial increase in the modal shift of people traveling along coastlines and rivers.
The strategy is supported by a collection of earmarked funding: the Maritime Development Fund (₹25,000 crore (USD ~2.84B) for ship tonnage and construction); the newly rejuvenated Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme (₹24,736 crore (USD ~2.81B) to stimulate domestic competitiveness); and the Shipbuilding Development Scheme (₹19,989 crore (USD ~2.27B) for greenfield clusters and investment in yard upgrades). Together, these mechanisms de-risk investments, support yard expansion, and move the sector towards cleaner technologies.
Mumbai will be the host: India Maritime Week 2025 (October 27th-31st) will bring together stakeholders from 100+ countries, with 500+ exhibitors, and estimated attendance exceeding 100,000 (including delegates)—an ideal and opportune stage to promote shipyards, digital port technologies, and green shipping pilots for a decade-long horizon.
Why should it matter to readers? Maritime infrastructure serves as the unnoticeable mast of trade—faster ports, fuller domestic fleets, and more navigable rivers lower supply chains by weeks, reduce carbon emissions, and create skilled jobs on land and sea. India’s Maritime Vision 2030 is an ambitious endeavor marrying hard engineering with policy tools; if successful, the wins will ripple through manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, and coastal communities for decades.
In short: India’s seas and rivers are no longer neglected. With tens of billions of dollars committed, faster ships, fuller ports, and a renaissance of inland waterways, India is claiming the mantle of major maritime power—and the future will bear it out as an advantage of longevity.
