India's maritime education ecosystem has undergone a transformative expansion over the past 12 years, with the Indian Maritime University (IMU) emerging among the world's leading maritime universities while significantly strengthening industry partnerships, research, innovation and workforce development aligned with the country's long-term maritime ambitions.
The progress was reviewed during a meeting chaired by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal here today. Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi , IMU has evolved from a predominantly classroom-based institution into a modern maritime university with a strong emphasis on research, innovation and industry collaboration.
Closer engagement with the maritime industry has helped align academic programmes with evolving sectoral requirements while making curricula more industry-oriented and future-ready. IMU has significantly strengthened its academic infrastructure through modern libraries, advanced simulators and enhanced recreational facilities.
Innovation outcomes have also improved substantially, with the number of patents increasing from one to seven.” Sarbananda Sonowal said the Indian Maritime University (IMU) has emerged as one of the world's top 10 maritime universities and the highest-ranked maritime university in India over the past 12 years, reflecting the transformative focus of the Modi Government on strengthening maritime education and building globally competitive institutions.
The minister said the university's evolution from a classroom-centric institution to a hub of research, innovation and industry collaboration demonstrates the government's commitment to creating a future-ready maritime workforce. It was also noted that IMU has aligned its academic programmes with industry requirements while integrating the objectives of the National Education Policy 2020 into its curriculum.
The university's expanding engagement with state maritime boards and private industry partners to deliver demand-driven skill development programmes was also highlighted during the meeting. Sonowal underlined sustained investments by Modi govt have strengthened IMU's infrastructure through modern libraries, advanced simulators and improved student facilities while also fostering a culture of innovation, reflected in the increase in patents from one to seven.
Pointing to the growing appeal of maritime education, Sonowal appreciated registrations for the IMU Common Entrance Test (IMU-CET) have risen to 73,395 from 14,751 in 2014. The Union Minister also noted an 18-fold increase in girl cadet enrolment, describing it as a significant milestone in making the maritime sector more inclusive and accessible.
The Union Minister acknowledged industry engagement has expanded substantially over the past decade. Technical consultancy undertaken by IMU's core faculty has increased from three projects worth Rs. 63.94 lakh in 2014 to 16 projects valued at Rs. 10.78 crore.
Since 2021, the university has established 22 domestic and four international industry partnerships, along with 20 domestic and 14 international academic collaborations, significantly strengthening the university's global academic and industry network. "Human capital is the foundation of India's maritime future.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are building a robust ecosystem where industrial training institutes, shipyards, academia and industry work together to create a world-class workforce that will drive India's shipbuilding ambitions and realise the vision of Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047,” added Sonowal.
Stressing that skilled human resources will be the cornerstone of India's emergence as a global shipbuilding powerhouse, Sonowal said continuous investments in maritime education, practical training and industry-oriented skilling are essential to achieving the country's long-term maritime goals.
He also proposed organising a nationwide Maritime Skilling Fair to create greater awareness among young people about career opportunities in the maritime sector and expand the talent pipeline for India's growing blue economy. "The next phase of IMU's growth will be defined by world-class infrastructure, cutting-edge research and future-ready skilling.
We will modernise our Mumbai Port and Kolkata Port campuses, establish Centres of Excellence in Shipbuilding and Maritime Skills, deepen research partnerships with industry and leading global institutions, and introduce specialised training in emerging technologies.
These initiatives, aligned with Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, will strengthen India's position as a global hub for maritime education, innovation and a highly skilled workforce,” said Sarbananda Sonowal. Sonowal urged all stakeholders to work with renewed urgency to achieve India's maritime and shipbuilding targets, saying coordinated efforts across government, academia and industry are critical to substantially improving India's position in global shipbuilding.
The meeting was attended by Vijay Kumar, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Malini V Shankar, Chairperson, IMU among other senior officials.