India marks the 60th National Maritime Day on April 5, 2023. The National Maritime Day is celebrated every year to commemorate the sailing of the first Indian commercial vessel, SS Loyalty, which sailed from Mumbai to London.
The National Maritime Day, which was started by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways in 1964, is observed to recognise the contributions made by the maritime industry towards the economic growth of the country.
In line with the Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has identified several initiatives including the development of world-class mega ports, trans-shipment hubs, and infrastructure modernisation of ports with focus on developing global standard ports in India.
The ministry plans to invest Rs 1,00,000 to Rs 1,25,000 crore for capacity augmentation and development of world-class infrastructure at ports.
Maritime India Vision 2030 objectives
The ‘Maritime India Vision 2030’, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2020 at the Maritime India Summit, is a ten-year blueprint for the development of India’s maritime sector. Under this vision, the government aims to improve the country’s waterways, support the shipbuilding sector, and promote cruise tourism.
With the aim to achieve the national maritime objectives, over 150 initiatives have been identified across ten themes covering all aspects of the Indian maritime sector. The government plans to develop green sustainable ports to increase the renewable energy share to over 60 per cent by 2030 from current levels of less than 10 per cent.
Presently, ports in India cannot handle ultra-large container vessels owing to the lack of required land-based mega port and terminal facilities. The upcoming ports at Vizhinjam in Kerala and Vadhavan in Maharashtra have natural drafts in excess of 18 metre to accommodate ultra-large container and cargo vessels on the ports.
See also: National waterways: Importance and complete list of National waterways in India
Development of Coastal Districts under the Sagarmala programme
With the aim to ensure development of coastal districts, the government has identified 567 projects under its ambitious Sagarmala programme with an estimated cost of Rs 59,000 crore under the four pillars of Coastal Infrastructure Development, Coastal Industrial Development, Coastal Tourism Development, and Coastal Community Development. The Sagarmala project will also give a boost to infrastructure and investments while enhancing the regional connectivity to enable trade.
According to Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal, 70 projects worth Rs 2,856 crore have been sanctioned under the Sagarmala project for coastal docks, roll-on/ roll-off, passenger jetties, etc. Out of these, 15 projects worth Rs 849 crore have been completed.
See also: Sagarmala project: Objectives, cost, status and latest updates