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MUMBAI: Citizens can soon expect made-in-Mumbai passenger transport boats and cruises to take you across the oceans. Maharashtra will soon have ship design, ship building, shipyard and manpower training facilities in order to promote waterways around Mumbai region and Konkan coast besides on international routes.
Among Rs 55719 crore worth of MoUs signed at the recently concluded India global maritime summit, Candela Technology, Chowgule & Company and Synergy Shipbuilders' ship construction and maintenance facilities are going to give Maharashtra an edge over other states in the maritime sector. Nitesh Rane, the state port development and maritime minister, said Candela's facility would be specifically for building ships for passenger water transport.
The Echandia Marine's battery system assembly for green ships, and IIT Bombay's facility for ship design and manpower training are expected to immensely benefit Mumbai and Maharashtra, he added. Goa Shipyard too will have its set up in the state. Adani and JSW have already signed MoUs for Dighi and Jaigad port's further expansion and developments.
Meanwhile, international companies such as Boskalis, Lai Investment and Wan Hai have shown interest in building terminals at Vadhvan by investing around Rs 70000 crore.
Meanwhile state ports minister Nitesh Rane and Abu Dhabi Ports Group, along with the Investment Resource & Presidential Office of Abu Dhabi signed an MoU envisioning investments up to USD 2 billion in Maharashtra's diversified sectors, including shipbuilding, ship-breaking, water transport, port infrastructure, and sports management.Over 600 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth more than ₹12 Lakh Crores were signed during India Maritime Week 2025, marking a new chapter in the nation's journey toward becoming a global maritime powerhouse.
The agreements reflect the government's comprehensive vision for sustainable, technologically advanced, and investment-driven maritime growth, said Rane pointing out that recent ship building, and ship-breaking policies have been lauded by the international guests.
Under various MoUs worth Rs 2.23 lakh crore, the country will get around 437 ships, the majority of which will belong to the shipping corporation, bharat containers besides green tugs, oil and gas carriers and dredging vessels.
The MoUs cover a wide spectrum of collaborations across port, shipping and industrial development. "Of the total investment value, approximately 30% is directed toward port development and modernisation, 20% toward sustainability, another 20% for shipping and shipbuilding, 20% for port-led industrialisation, and the remaining 10% for trade and business knowledge partnerships," said a government release.Union shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, "A surge of 41% surge from GMIS 2023 underscores India's growing leadership in sustainable port-led development and its emergence as a key driver of the global blue economy. This is a direct result of our dynamic PM Narendra Modi's visionary leadership, which has transformed India's maritime sector into a beacon of global confidence and opportunity"As part of the initiatives launched by the PM, the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) announced plans to expand its fleet to 216 vessels by 2047 with an investment of ₹1 Lakh Crores, adding 10 million Gross Tonnage (GT) and strengthening India's global maritime competitiveness.
In a major boost to Make in India, Oil and Gas PSUs launched 59 shipbuilding orders worth Rs 47,800 crore, enhancing indigenous shipbuilding capacity and creating new jobs across coastal regions.To promote green port operations, the Green Tug Programme was launched to deploy 100 eco-friendly tugs by 2040, with an investment of about Rs 12,000 crore, supporting India's transition to cleaner and energy-efficient maritime logistics. Additionally, the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) announced plans to modernise its fleet with 11 new dredgers to improve operational efficiency and strengthen coastal infrastructure.
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