India’s Maritime Sector: National Shipping Board’s ‘Sagar Samvad’ and the Roadmap to Add 100 Ships

Why in News?

• The National Shipping Board (NSB) organised its first ‘Sagar Samvad’ in New Delhi on 25 August 2026.
• The event focused on strengthening India’s shipping sector and charting a roadmap towards Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
• During the event, a five-pillar roadmap was proposed to improve the competitiveness of Indian-flagged ships and help India add 100 vessels to its merchant fleet over the next five years.

Important Point

• Union Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal chaired the inaugural Sagar Samvad.
• The event brought together policymakers, shipowners, financiers, maritime experts, officials and young maritime cadets.
• India currently pays nearly $75 billion annually in freight to foreign shipping lines for transporting critical cargo.
• Indian-flagged ships were highlighted as being around 16–20% costlier than foreign-flagged vessels.
• The National Shipping Board proposed a five-pillar roadmap to address the competitiveness gap.
• The proposed measures aim to increase India’s merchant fleet and strengthen Atmanirbhar Bharat in shipping.
• Discussions also focused on India’s maritime workforce, seafarer skills, employment opportunities and gender disparity.
  

About ‘Sagar Samvad’

• Sagar Samvad, meaning “ocean dialogue,” is an institutional platform of the National Shipping Board for bringing together stakeholders of India’s maritime sector.
• The inaugural edition was organised around the theme:“Charting the Roadmap Towards Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.”
• Its broader objective is to facilitate dialogue between:
  • Government and policymakers
  • Shipping companies and shipowners
  • Maritime experts
  • Financial institutions
  • Seafarers and training institutions
  • Industry associations
  • Young maritime professionals

National Shipping Board (NSB)

• The National Shipping Board is a statutory advisory body dealing with India’s shipping sector.
• It was constituted in 1958.
• It advises the government on matters related to shipping policy, merchant shipping, tonnage and seafarer welfare.
• The Board was reconstituted in May 2025.
• Its functioning is now governed by the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 and the associated rules.

Major Areas of NSB’s Role

• Advising on shipping policy
• Development of Indian merchant shipping
• Expansion of Indian tonnage
• Maritime sector development
• Policy consultation with industry
• Strengthening India’s shipping competitiveness
  

India’s Foreign Freight Bill

• India is heavily dependent on foreign shipping lines for transporting its international trade.
• According to discussions at Sagar Samvad:
  • India spends approximately $75 billion annually on freight paid to foreign shipping lines.
  • Critical commodities such as crude oil, gas, coal and urea are among the cargo transported through maritime routes.
  • Dependence on foreign shipping companies results in a significant outflow of foreign exchange.
  • Strengthening India's own merchant fleet can help retain a greater share of shipping-related economic value within the country.

Why is this important?

A stronger Indian merchant fleet can:

• Reduce dependence on foreign shipping companies.
• Improve national economic resilience.
• Strengthen supply-chain security.
• Support energy and food security.
• Generate employment.
• Increase India’s strategic maritime capability.
  

Five-Pillar Roadmap for Indian Shipping

The National Shipping Board’s discussions proposed five major areas for strengthening India's merchant fleet:

1. Fiscal Reform

• Rationalisation of taxes affecting shipping.
• Reduction of cost disadvantages faced by Indian operators.
• Creation of a more competitive taxation framework.

2. Assured Cargo Support

• Greater participation of Indian shipping companies in transporting national cargo.
• Policy mechanisms to provide predictable cargo opportunities.

3. Competitive Financing

• Easier and cheaper access to capital.
• Development of appropriate financial instruments for ship acquisition and expansion.
• Greater participation of domestic and international financial institutions.

4. Regulatory Streamlining

• Simplification of regulatory procedures.
• Reduction of unnecessary compliance burdens.
• Faster decision-making for maritime businesses.

5. Ease of Doing Business

• Creating a more business-friendly maritime ecosystem.
• Improving operational efficiency.
• Reducing procedural delays and transaction costs.

Indian Merchant Fleet and Maritime Self-Reliance

A large merchant fleet is important not only from an economic perspective but also from a strategic perspective.

India’s dependence on foreign shipping can create vulnerabilities during:

• Geopolitical tensions
• International conflicts
• Disruptions in shipping routes
• Global supply-chain crises
• Sudden increases in freight rates
• Maritime emergencies.

Therefore, increasing Indian-owned and Indian-flagged tonnage can contribute to strategic autonomy and economic security. The proposed addition of 100 ships over five years is intended to contribute to India’s long-term ambition of becoming one of the world’s leading ship-owning nations.

Maritime Labour Force: Opportunities and Challenges

• A major session at Sagar Samvad focused on “Maritime Labour Force: Opportunities & Challenges.”
• India possesses one of the world’s large pools of trained seafarers.
  

Maritime India Vision 2030

• Maritime India Vision 2030 provides a long-term framework for transforming India's maritime sector.
• Its broad focus includes:
  • Port infrastructure development
  • Shipping sector competitiveness
  • Maritime logistics
  • Shipbuilding and ship repair
  • Green shipping
  • Maritime employment
  • Coastal development
  • Technology and innovation

The objective is to strengthen India’s position as a major global maritime power.

Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047

• Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 (MAKV 2047) represents India’s long-term maritime development roadmap.
• It seeks to develop a globally competitive and technologically advanced maritime ecosystem by 2047.
• Major Objectives:-
  • Strengthening India's port capacity
  • Expanding merchant shipping
  • Developing shipbuilding capabilities
  • Promoting green shipping
  • Increasing maritime employment
  • Improving logistics efficiency
  • Enhancing India's global maritime competitiveness
  • Supporting the Blue Economy
    

Significance for India

1. Economic Security:-Reducing dependence on foreign shipping can help retain freight expenditure within the domestic economy.
2. Strategic Autonomy :-A stronger merchant fleet provides greater resilience during international crises and disruptions in global shipping.
3. Foreign Exchange Savings :-Reducing payments to foreign shipping lines can potentially reduce foreign exchange outflow.
4. Employment Generation :-Expansion of shipping, shipbuilding and maritime logistics can create large-scale skilled employment.
5. Shipbuilding Ecosystem :-Growth in merchant shipping can stimulate domestic shipbuilding, ship repair and maritime manufacturing.
6. Blue Economy :-A stronger maritime sector can contribute significantly to India’s Blue Economy and coastal development.
7. Atmanirbhar Bharat :-Building domestic shipping capacity supports the broader objective of reducing strategic dependence on foreign entities.

Challenges

Despite significant potential, India’s shipping sector faces several challenges:

• Higher operating costs for Indian-flagged vessels.
• Higher cost of domestic capital.
• Tax-related competitiveness issues.
• Dependence on foreign shipping lines.
• Limited scale of Indian merchant tonnage compared with leading maritime nations.
• Need for greater shipbuilding capacity.
• Regulatory and procedural complexities.
• Skill and training gaps in emerging maritime sectors.
• Gender disparity in maritime employment.
• Global competition in shipping and shipbuilding.
• Volatility in international freight rates.

Way Forward

• Implement the five-pillar roadmap proposed by the National Shipping Board.
• Rationalise taxation affecting Indian shipping companies.
• Provide access to competitive and long-term financing.
• Develop assured cargo mechanisms for Indian-flagged vessels.
• Simplify maritime regulations and improve Ease of Doing Business.
• Increase investment in domestic shipbuilding and ship repair.
• Expand high-quality maritime training and skill development.
• Create more employment opportunities for women in the maritime sector.
• Develop specialised skills for cruise shipping and advanced shipbuilding.
• Promote green and sustainable shipping technologies.
• Strengthen India's maritime logistics ecosystem.
• Increase the share of Indian-owned and Indian-flagged vessels in India's international trade.
  

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