"Come aboard!": PM Modi invites world to invest in India's maritime renaissance

New Delhi [India], October 30 (ANI): India -- which has a very long coastline, strategic global trade routes, world-class ports, ambitious Blue Economy vision, besides the necessary innovation and intent - can offer perfect harbour for investments, wrote Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a long LinkedIn post, sharing his experience a day after he participated in the ongoing five-day India Maritime Week 2025 in Mumbai.
"We have a very long coastline. We have strategic global trade routes, world-class ports, and an ambitious vision for Blue Economy growth. We have infrastructure, innovation and intent. Thanks to our youth, our ecosystem is primed for innovation. Come aboard!" he wrote in the LinkedIn post, as he invited global maritime industry players to come and invest in India.
Yesterday, PM Modi was in Mumbai to attend the Maritime Leaders Conclave as part of the ongoing India Maritime Week 2025.
Mumbai, PM Modi said, has a strong link with India's maritime sector. There are historical links to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and today it has a vibrant port infrastructure and is a key trading centre for our nation.
PM Modi said he met key CEOs and interacted with leading stakeholders of the sector.
"In these interactions, it was gladdening to see the optimism towards India in furthering port-led development," PM Modi wrote in the LinkedIn blog.
India's proud maritime heritage is well known, and the country has always been known for shipbuilding and coastal trade.
"We are the land of the Cholas and the Marathas, whose naval might, trading impact and strategic brilliance became pathways of progress and power. Their vision showed us how the oceans can serve as bridges of opportunity," PM Modi supplemented.
According to PM Modi, a decade ago, when he assumed office, India's maritime sector was filled with what he asserted "outdated laws and limited capacities."
"This was not acceptable to us. And, with a focus on infrastructure, reforms and public participation, the sector has witnessed many transformations over the last eleven years. Today, the sector stands transformed as a symbol of modern infrastructure, global trust and national pride," he further wrote, sharing some of the key parameters of growth.
PM Modi affirmed that India's port capacity has doubled from 1,400 to 2,762 MMTPA over these years. Cargo handling rose from 972 to 1,594 MMT, including 855 MMT in FY 2024-25. Vessel turnaround time has been reduced from 93 hours to 48 hours.
Net surplus increased ninefold from Rs. 1,026 crore to Rs. 9,352 crore. The operating ratio improved from 73% to 43%, marking a new era of efficiency, PM Modi added.
India's seafarer workforce has grown from 1.25 lakh to over 3 lakh, now accounting for 12% of the global seafaring workforce. India is today among the top three suppliers of trained seafarers in the world, PM Modi wrote.
India's shipping power is expanding across coasts and rivers, he said in the next segment of his blog.
Indian-flagged vessels increased from 1,205 to 1,549, and fleet gross tonnage grew from 10 MGT to 13.52 MGT. Coastal shipping cargo nearly doubled from 87 to 165 MMT, the prime minister affirmed.
Inland waterway cargo grew by 710%, from 18 MMT in 2014 to 146 MMT in 2025. Operational waterways expanded from 3 to 32, while ferry and Ro-Pax services carried 7.5 crore passengers in 2024-25.
In one of the sections, the prime minister stressed the government's vision for the Maritime sector, noting that it places the utmost importance on sustainability and innovation.
"Vizhinjam Port has become India's first deep-water transhipment hub. Kandla Port hosts the nation's first green hydrogen facility. JNPT has doubled its capacity and attracted the largest FDI in port history," he highlighted.
"The Vadhvan Port project in Palghar, Maharashtra, with an investment of around Rs 76,000 crore, will be among the world's few deep-draft ports at 20 meters. Its seamless railway and highway connectivity, proximity to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and the Western Freight Corridor will transform the region's economic landscape, creating new opportunities for logistics, warehousing and trade."
Another factor that helped India's maritime sector march ahead was the reforms brought in by the Modi government, he said.
Five landmark bills, from the Bills of Lading Bill to the Indian Ports Bill (2025), have modernised maritime governance, simplified trade, empowered states and aligned India with global standards, the prime minister wrote.
To accelerate this growth, the government has approved a Rs. 70,000 crore umbrella package for the maritime sector.
"The Shipbuilding Assistance Scheme, Maritime Development Fund and Shipbuilding Development Scheme will attract over Rs. 4.5 lakh crore in investment and help produce more than 2,500 vessels. This initiative will position India among the global leaders in shipbuilding and maritime innovation," the blog read.
Being organised from October 27-31, 2025, under the theme "Uniting Oceans, One Maritime Vision", IMW 2025 showcases India's strategic roadmap to emerge as a global maritime hub and a leader in the Blue Economy. (ANI)