India is accelerating investments across ports, inland waterways, and shipbuilding as the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is pursuing one of the country's largest maritime infrastructure expansion programmes, targeting more than 700 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of additional port capacity by 2030, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.

Among the flagship projects are the Vadhavan Port, which will add 164 MTPA of capacity by 2030-31, the Tuticorin Outer Harbour project with 39 MTPA, and the Kandla Tuna Tekra Terminal, expected to contribute 33 MTPA by 2027-28, it said.

Chairing a high-level review of the Ministry's Viksit Bharat targets, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal directed officials to accelerate implementation of flagship projects while maintaining strict adherence to timelines. He urged officials across the Ministry, major ports, and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to work with a unified approach to achieve India's long-term maritime ambitions, the statement said.

Overall, the Ministry plans to create an additional 682 MTPA of capacity by 2030 through a combination of new infrastructure, mechanisation and private investment. This includes 306 MTPA at major ports, 193 MTPA at key non-major ports, and another 183 MTPA through mechanisation, operational efficiency improvements, public-private partnerships and capacity augmentation at emerging non-major ports.

The review comes as the Ministry reports significant progress across multiple performance indicators. India has consolidated its position as the world's largest ship recycling nation, while inland waterways cargo has already crossed 200 million tonnes, achieving the Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030 target several years ahead of schedule.

"These achievements demonstrate what India can accomplish when policy, execution and teamwork move together. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the maritime sector has emerged as one of the strongest pillars of India's economic transformation,” Sonowal said.

The Ministry aims to increase cargo handling mechanisation across ports from 76 per cent in FY 2025-26 to 93 per cent by 2030, significantly improving operational efficiency and reducing turnaround time. Private sector participation is also expected to expand substantially. Cargo handled through public-private partnership (PPP) projects is projected to rise from 44 per cent in 2013-14 to 85 per cent by 2030-31, reflecting the government's continued emphasis on private capital and operational expertise in port development. The Ministry has also set a target of achieving 100 per cent digitisation across the maritime sector by 2030, with integrated digital platforms expected to improve logistics efficiency, transparency and service delivery.

India's shipbuilding sector also recorded strong momentum during the review period. Domestic shipbuilding output increased 41 per cent, rising from 40,923 gross tonnes (GT) in 2024 to 57,637 GT in 2025. To support long-term manufacturing growth, the government has granted in-principle approvals for greenfield shipbuilding clusters in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat, each with a planned capacity of 1.2 million GT. Similar approvals for Maharashtra and Odisha are expected by August-September 2026.

A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding has also been signed with HD Hyundai-KSOE for developing a shipbuilding cluster in Tamil Nadu, while extending 100 per cent financial support for common maritime infrastructure required for these industrial ecosystems. The review noted a sharp improvement in the value of vessels being built domestically. The average contract value per vessel has increased more than fivefold to Rs 212 crore, compared with Rs 41 crore previously, indicating India's growing capability to manufacture larger and technologically advanced ships.