Government plans to add 100 new merchant vessels over next five years: Sarbananda Sonowal
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal has said that the government plans to add 100 more new vessels to India's foreign-dependent merchant fleet over the next five years to cut $75 billion in freight bills. India currently operates a merchant fleet of around 1,600 seagoing ships. The plan discussed at the National Shipping Board’s (NSB) first ‘Sagar Samvad’ event on August 25, 2026.
Sonowal said the NSB, established in 1958 and older than the ministry it advises, is tasked with ensuring that India’s shipping policy is formulated only after listening to the voices of those who sail, own, and fund the industry. NSB is a statutory advisory body under the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, that counsels the government on shipping policy, tonnage, seafarer welfare, and port-linked maritime development. He also acknowledged the success of the Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme worth Rs 10,000 crore, with global shipping major Maersk now ordering containers built on Indian soil.
The minister further said India's maritime sector has the potential to become a major engine of employment for the young workforce and position India as the world's leading supplier of skilled seafarers. He said ‘we are expanding quality training capacity, with steps taken to strengthen industry-led skilling, create wider employment pathways, address gender disparity and equip our workforce with skills for emerging segments such as cruise shipping and advanced shipbuilding.’ He added that a skilled and future-ready maritime workforce will be central to achieving the Maritime India Vision 2030 and building India's shipbuilding capabilities under Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
