PM to attend India Maritime Week in Mumbai, says Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the India Maritime Week in Mumbai from October 27-31, where he will deliver the keynote address at the Global Maritime CEO Forum, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said on Tuesday (September 2, 2025).

Speaking at the Water Voyage Northeast 2025 conference in Guwahati, Mr. Sonowal said the Mumbai event will be “a historic opportunity to showcase India’s maritime strength to the world”, with more than 100,000 stakeholders from over 100 countries expected to participate.

He said the Prime Minister’s presence will reaffirm India’s global maritime leadership at a time when the sector is undergoing unprecedented transformation. “India Maritime Week will not only be a confluence of ideas, but a confluence of confidence,” he added.

Mr. Sonowal revealed a major development for the Northeast region — two luxury cruise ships at a combined investment of ₹250 crore for deployment on the Brahmaputra river. These ships, currently under construction at Hooghly Cochin Shipyard in Howrah, will be launched in 2027 to provide a new dimension to Assam’s river tourism under the Cruise Bharat Mission.

Maritime transformation

The Union Minister said India’s maritime ecosystem has been reshaped since 2014 under the leadership of Mr. Modi. Flagship initiatives such as Sagarmala, the Maritime India Vision 2030, and the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 are transforming ports, shipping, and inland waterways.

He said that the port capacity in the country has nearly doubled, cargo handling has reached 1,600 million metric tonnes, and turnaround time at ports has reduced to 22 hours.

“From five operational waterways in 2014, we have 30 today. Cargo movement on inland waterways has grown from 18 million tonnes in 2013-14 to 145 million tonnes last year. These are not just statistics; they are milestones of transformation,” he said.

Mr. Sonowal underscored the green transition being led by the Harit Sagar policy and Harit Nauka initiative, which promote clean fuels, renewable energy, and eco-friendly inland vessels. He also highlighted the Jalvahak Scheme, launched in December 2024, which incentivises cargo transport over 300 km on National Waterways 1, 2, and 16 through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route with up to 35% reimbursement of operating expenditure.

“With the Jalvahak scheme and fixed day scheduled sailings, we are not just moving cargo, we are moving confidence. We are providing the industry with predictability, affordability, and sustainability,” he said.

Focus Northeast

The Union Minister placed special emphasis on the role of the northeast in the maritime roadmap. More than ₹1,000 crore has been invested in inland waterway infrastructure in the region, of which ₹300 crore worth of projects are complete, and the rest are nearing completion.

“Under Mr Modi’s leadership, we are unlocking the immense maritime potential of the northeast. A ₹239 crore ship repair facility at Pandu (Guwahati) — the first of its kind in the region — will be ready by 2026. By September 2025, a ₹180 crore dedicated approach road will directly link NH-27 to Pandu Port,” he said.

“To boost cruise tourism, we are investing ₹299 crore in new tourist jetties at Guijan, Neamati, Bishwanath Ghat, and Silghat. At Dibrugarh, a ₹188 crore Regional Centre of Excellence is being developed to train 5,000 maritime professionals, empowering our youth to lead India’s maritime growth story,” he added.