Editorial 1: ​​​​Cruising ahead

Context

India’s shipping sector needs strong government support to grow and become competitive.

Introduction

The India Maritime Week marked a new strategic inroad in India’s shipping policy. Once seen as a business, shipping is now viewed as a national asset. The event underlined the need to rebuild the Shipping Corporation of India, strengthen ports, and expand fleet capacity. It also exposed the occlusion of past neglect, where liberalisation weakened state control.

India Maritime Week: A Strategic Shift

• The India Maritime Week, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marked a big policy change.
• The event showed that shipping is not just trade, but a strategic tool for national power.
• Earlier, India’s shipping sector declined due to liberalisation, privatisation, and globalisation (LPG).
• The focus was only on training seafarers for foreign ships, not on building India’s own fleet.
• The Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) lost its edge after its special rights to carry Indian oil were withdrawn.

Lessons from the Pandemic

• COVID-19 exposed India’s heavy dependence on foreign-owned vessels.
• India could not control or influence its own trade routes during disruptions.
• Private Indian shipping was too small to handle the crisis.
• The government realised that shipping has strategic value, especially during wars or global instability.
• Post-pandemic, the focus shifted to strengthening the SCI fleet and national capacity.

New Investments and Reforms

• Most new investments announced during Maritime Week were in ports and logistics.
• India follows a landlord port model, where private or foreign firms run terminals and share revenue.
• This system has given ports enough funds for new projects and expansion.
• Chennai and Kolkata ports have begun work on a transshipment hub in the Andamans.
• Projects under Sagarmala and seafarer training have also gained speed.
• The government now encourages foreign shipping companies to register ships in India through local units.
• This gives India more leverage and strengthens linked services like marine insurance.

The Missing Link: Shipbuilding Power

• India’s merchant shipbuilding sector still shows very slow growth.
• Little progress is seen in building LNG carriers or green-fuel ships.
• Modern shipyards would prove India’s industrial and engineering strength.
• The day Indian yards can roll out state-of-the-art vessels, the nation will be truly cruising ahead.

Conclusion

India’s maritime revival reflects a mix of economic vision and strategic foresight. Post-pandemic lessons have turned attention toward self-reliance in shipping, shipbuilding, and logistics. Yet, the occlusion of industrial capability remains a challenge. Once Indian shipyards master green-fuel and LNG vessels, the nation will turn this strategic inroad into lasting maritime power, steering confidently into the global seas.