India is seeking to position the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a maritime and economic gateway to the Indo-Pacific, with an emphasis on shipping routes, port connectivity and resilient supply chains. The initiative is being advanced amid disruptions to global trade and growing attention to the security of critical infrastructure.

The priorities were outlined at a curtain-raiser for the Andaman Dialogue 2027, scheduled for March 12–14, 2027, at Swaraj Dweep. The event is expected to bring representatives from more than 15 countries, while Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the islands could help link South and Southeast Asia through trade, logistics, shipping, digital infrastructure and finance.

Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, chairman of the National Maritime Foundation and a former Chief of the Naval Staff, highlighted the islands’ proximity to major shipping routes. He called for greater cooperation in maritime surveillance, port connectivity, shipbuilding, ship repair and seafarer training, and said India–ASEAN trade had reached approximately $128 bn in 2025–26, accounting for about 11 per cent of India’s total trade.

Tripathi said the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region, which currently hosts liaison officers from approximately 16–17 partner countries, aims to raise that number to 50 by 2028. He also proposed extending maritime information-sharing arrangements to commercial shipping operating in the Andaman Sea.

He referred to a Rs. 697.25 bn package for shipbuilding and the maritime sector, as well as investment commitments of approximately Rs. 12 tn announced during India Maritime Week. Participants discussed vulnerabilities affecting shipping routes and critical infrastructure, including subsea cables, and emphasised resilient regional networks and rules-based cooperation.

Representatives from Fiji, Djibouti, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Australia, Singapore, Mauritius, Thailand, Vietnam and the Maldives attended the event. The curtain-raiser was jointly convened by the Forum for Integrated National Security and the Centre for Domestic Economy Policy Research.