India’s seafarer workforce has grown from 1.25 lakh a decade ago to over three lakh today, placing the country among the top three global suppliers of trained seafarers, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, said on Friday.
This creates vast opportunities in navigation, ship operations, logistics, and allied maritime industries both in India and abroad, he added while addressing the 10th convocation of the Indian Maritime University (IMU) in Chennai.
The event highlighted the remarkable transformation of India’s maritime sector under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the employment opportunities now available to youth entering the sector, Sonowal added.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Modi, this week approved a comprehensive package of Rs 69,725 crore to revitalise India’s shipbuilding and maritime ecosystem. The overall package is expected to unlock 4.5 million gross tonnage of shipbuilding capacity, generate nearly 30 lakh jobs, and attract investments of approximately Rs 4.5 lakh crore into India’s maritime sector.
Congratulating the 2,196 graduating students at IMU, Sonowal said: "You are entering a sector that has been revitalised over the past decade and is central to India’s economic, strategic, and global ambitions."
"Careers in shipping, ports, shipbuilding, logistics, research, and green maritime technologies have never been more diverse or in demand as we move towards becoming one of the global leaders in the maritime sector under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he noted.
Since 2014, India’s ports have undergone extensive modernisation and mechanisation, resulting in a “turnaround time” of just 0.9 days, surpassing ports in advanced maritime nations such as the US, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, and Singapore.
Nine Indian ports now rank among the top 100 globally. Vadhavan port, being constructed with an investment of Rs 76,000 crore, will be one of the world’s largest container ports. Cargo movement via inland waterways has increased sevenfold, and coastal shipping volumes have risen over 150 per cent in the last decade.
The ‘Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’ provides a long-term roadmap for India’s maritime resurgence. Investments totalling Rs 80 lakh crore are being directed toward port infrastructure, coastal shipping, inland waterways, shipbuilding, and green shipping initiatives.
The government has established green corridors, green hydrogen bunkering at major ports, and promoted methanol-fuelled vessels to encourage sustainable maritime operations. "These transformative measures are expected to generate 25–30 lakh direct and indirect jobs in shipbuilding, ports, shipping, logistics, and allied industries," the minister said.