India’s maritime sector sees record growth ahead of IMW 2025
India’s maritime sector recorded substantial advances from 2014 to 2025, with port capacity nearly doubling to 2,762 million metric tonnes per year and cargo volumes climbing from 972 million tonnes to 1,594 million tonnes. The government allocated between 3 lakh crore and 3.5 lakh crore rupees through Maritime India Vision 2030 to modernize facilities and expand waterway networks. Vessel turnaround time dropped from 93 hours to 48 hours.
Coastal shipping cargo movement rose from 87 million tonnes to 165 million tonnes, while inland waterway freight surged 710 percent to reach 146 million tonnes. The workforce of Indian seafarers tripled to more than 3 lakh professionals, representing 12 percent of global maritime personnel. India Maritime Week 2025 opened on Monday at Mumbai’s exhibition center with delegates from over 100 nations attending through Friday.
