India’s maritime sector projected to attract ₹80 lakh crore investment in coming years: Sonowal
Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday said India’s maritime sector was projected to attract investments worth over ₹80 lakh crore in the coming years which will help the country regain its nautical supremacy.
According to Sonowal, in 2025, the maritime sector attracted over ₹12 lakh crore investment and in coming years it will increase to ₹80 lakh crore and generate over 1.5 crore jobs.
“As a result of this investment, India’s long lost maritime supremacy will be regained and we shall be the global maritime leaders once again,” he said at the inaugural ceremony of Vizhinjam port’s second phase of development.
The minister said once the second phase of development is completed, Vizhinjam port will transform into “a regional transshipment hub of global significance”.
Sonowal also highlighted the “remarkable operational performance” demonstrated by the port in the short span since its dedication to the nation in May last year.
The Union Shipping Minister further said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the maritime sector in India, in the last decade, “has witnessed unprecedented progress” with manifold increase in the number of shipyards, maritime cruise passengers, cruise sectors, cargo movement on inland waterways and the number of operational waterways in the country.
He said that the impact of this progress has been seen on the ground as according to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), India’s logistics costs are approximately 7.97 per cent of GDP for 2023-24, “a clear improvement from earlier levels”.
“Kerala occupies a very special place in this national maritime transformation,” the union minister said.
With world class ports, modern shipping, strong ship building and vibrant inland waterways, Kerala was “well positioned to play a leadership role in India’s maritime future”, he said.
The union minister also expressed confidence that Vizhinjam seaport along with the maritime ecosystem being developed in Kerala will generate employment, boost trade, empower coastal communities and strengthen India’s position in the global supplies chain.
Sonowal said Kerala was currently implementing 56 Sagarmala-related projects with a total investment of over ₹24,000 crore and of them 20 worth ₹5,300 crore, have already been completed and the remaining 36 valued at ₹18,700 crore were in various stages of implementation.
He also noted that the Cochin Port Authority and the Cochin Shipyard Ltd were playing a pivotal role in strengthening the maritime ecosystem in Kerala.
Published on January 25, 2026
