On Saturday, at the 19th Maritime States Development Council meeting in Kevadia, Gujarat, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) Sarbananda Sonowal, in a statement said that due to the rapid expansion, by 2047 the country expects an increase in the cargo handling capacity of sea and river ports by almost 300 percent.
He said, “The country’s total port capacity will increase from the existing 2,600 MTPA (million tonnes per annum) to more than 10,000 MTPA in 2047.”
Citing the impressive 16 percent YoY growth in cargo movement through inland waterways, Sonowal said that the government now aims for significantly increasing it to 500 MTPA by 2047.
The minister also said that the government will soon set up a port security agency to improve and regulate the security of the country’s port assets.
At present, India has 13 major seaports and over 180 minor ports which account for the bulk movement of its maritime traffic.
He also mentioned that MoPSW planned to develop green hydrogen hubs at all ports, including the central and state-government-owned. He said, “All central government and state government ports will explore the possibility of creating hydrogen hubs.”
Calling the sector a catalyst for economic growth, Sonowal said that the role of private sector players was being gradually expanded as PPP terminals currently handle about 50 percent of cargo at major ports. Efforts were being made to increase its share to about 85 percent in the next few decades.
The minister, while mentioning the SagarMala Programme to expand the logistics sector, noted that the initiative had significantly increased the port capacity, connectivity and operational efficiency for reducing costs, shortening vessel turnaround time, accommodating larger ships and elevating the strategic relevance of Indian ports in the South Asia region.
He appealed to all coastal states and federal states to continue their unwavering support to the MoPSW, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Ministry of Railways to accelerate the important development projects under SagarMala.
