Private Participation in Major Ports to Reach 85 Per Cent by 2030: Sonowal

25 Aug 2025 CW Team

Among the upcoming projects, the greenfield port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra will be India’s largest by capacity, with an investment of Rs 760 billion. It will be developed in two phases, scheduled for completion in 2029 and 2037. Another major project, the Nicobar port, is planned at a cost of Rs 480 billion over the next decade.

Sonowal said alternative trade corridors such as the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) are being developed to mitigate geopolitical risks. Over the past 11 years, cargo handling at India’s 12 major ports has nearly doubled, rising from 855 million tonnes to 1,690 million tonnes. Overall port capacity now stands at 2,600 million tonnes, with plans to increase this to 10,000 million tonnes by 2047.

He added that India aims to emerge as a global shipbuilding hub by 2030 and among the world’s top five shipbuilding nations by 2047. The Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 outlines investments worth Rs 80 trillion to modernise infrastructure, expand port capacity, improve operational efficiency through digitisation and automation, and promote green initiatives such as hydrogen hubs and coastal tourism.

The minister noted that five landmark legislations were introduced during the monsoon session of Parliament, including the Indian Ports Bill 2025, Merchant Shipping Bill 2025 and Coastal Shipping Bill 2025, to create a globally aligned and competitive legal framework for the maritime sector.

He further highlighted tax and financial reforms, such as the creation of a Maritime Development Fund with a corpus of Rs 250 billion, extension of the Tonnage Tax scheme to inland vessels, and exemptions on input material for shipbuilding and shipbreaking. These measures, he said, would strengthen the shipping ecosystem and attract greater investment.

On green shipping, Sonowal said the government has issued Harit Sagar guidelines and is setting up methanol and green hydrogen plants, enabling green fuel bunkering, and developing green corridors. Electric tugs are also being introduced, with tenders floated by six to seven major ports.

News source: Business Standard

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal has said the government is targeting 85 per cent private participation in major ports by 2030. Speaking at the Business Standard Infrastructure Summit, he announced that 50 public-private partnership (PPP) projects worth over Rs 600 billion have already been identified, exceeding targets set under the National Monetisation Pipeline.Among the upcoming projects, the greenfield port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra will be India’s largest by capacity, with an investment of Rs 760 billion. It will be developed in two phases, scheduled for completion in 2029 and 2037. Another major project, the Nicobar port, is planned at a cost of Rs 480 billion over the next decade.Sonowal said alternative trade corridors such as the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) are being developed to mitigate geopolitical risks. Over the past 11 years, cargo handling at India’s 12 major ports has nearly doubled, rising from 855 million tonnes to 1,690 million tonnes. Overall port capacity now stands at 2,600 million tonnes, with plans to increase this to 10,000 million tonnes by 2047.He added that India aims to emerge as a global shipbuilding hub by 2030 and among the world’s top five shipbuilding nations by 2047. The Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 outlines investments worth Rs 80 trillion to modernise infrastructure, expand port capacity, improve operational efficiency through digitisation and automation, and promote green initiatives such as hydrogen hubs and coastal tourism.The minister noted that five landmark legislations were introduced during the monsoon session of Parliament, including the Indian Ports Bill 2025, Merchant Shipping Bill 2025 and Coastal Shipping Bill 2025, to create a globally aligned and competitive legal framework for the maritime sector.He further highlighted tax and financial reforms, such as the creation of a Maritime Development Fund with a corpus of Rs 250 billion, extension of the Tonnage Tax scheme to inland vessels, and exemptions on input material for shipbuilding and shipbreaking. These measures, he said, would strengthen the shipping ecosystem and attract greater investment.On green shipping, Sonowal said the government has issued Harit Sagar guidelines and is setting up methanol and green hydrogen plants, enabling green fuel bunkering, and developing green corridors. Electric tugs are also being introduced, with tenders floated by six to seven major ports.News source: Business Standard

Infrastructure Urban

02 Jun 2026

VECV Sales Rise 7.8 Per Cent In May 2026

VE Commercial Vehicles recorded sales of 7,978 units in May 2026, compared to 7,401 units in May 2025, registering growth of 7.8 per cent. This included 7,789 units from the Eicher brand and 189 units from the Volvo brand.Eicher branded trucks and buses reported sales of 7,789 units during the month, up 7.3 per cent from 7,258 units a year earlier. In the domestic commercial vehicle market, Eicher sales rose 9.1 per cent to 7,375 units from 6,758 units in May 2025.Exports declined 17.2 per cent to 414 units from 500 units in the corresponding month last year. Volvo Trucks and Volvo Buses recor..

Infrastructure Urban

02 Jun 2026

Table Space Strengthens DESYN Leadership Team

Table Space has announced strategic leadership appointments within DESYN, its integrated Design and Build business, as it looks to strengthen operations across key enterprise and GCC markets in India. DESYN was launched as a strategic extension of Table Space’s workspace solutions portfolio to meet rising demand for agile, high-quality and rapidly deployable enterprise workspaces.Shruti Ookabhoy has joined DESYN as Executive Director and will lead the Design vertical, focusing on design capability, operational excellence and team development across markets. She brings over 22 years of experi..

Infrastructure Transport

02 Jun 2026

Concord Associate Bags Rs 2.79 Bn Kavach Order

Concord Control Systems said its associate company, Progota India, has received a Rs 2.79 bn domestic order from Indian Railways for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of on-board Kavach 4.0 loco equipment.The order is scheduled for execution within 12 months and strengthens Concord’s role in India’s railway safety and signalling ecosystem. Kavach is India’s indigenous automatic train protection system, designed to improve operational safety by helping prevent signal passing at danger and reducing collision risks.Gaurav Lath, Joint Managing Director, Concord Control Syst..