Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal announced Andhra Pradesh's ambitious plan to emerge as a globally competitive maritime and logistics hub during the 31st CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam. The state's strategic advantages include a 1,053-kilometer coastline along the Bay of Bengal, access to key international shipping routes, and proximity to major Asian manufacturing and trading economies, positioning it as India's principal maritime gateway to ASEAN, East Asia, and the wider Indo-Pacific.
Port Infrastructure Expansion
Four major greenfield port projects are under construction at Mulapeta, Machilipatnam, Ramayapatnam, and Kakinada SEZ to strengthen cargo-handling capacity and support industrial development. The foundation stone was laid for projects worth more than ₹560 crore at Visakhapatnam Port, expected to build and augment capacity, enhance ease of doing business, and create employment opportunities. Visakhapatnam Port handled a record 91.17 million tonnes of cargo in FY 2025-26, registering approximately 10% growth over the previous year and maintaining continuous growth for four consecutive years since FY 2021-22.
Shipbuilding Initiative
A proposed greenfield shipbuilding cluster at Dugarajapatnam has received in-principle approval under the National Shipbuilding Mission. The project envisages an investment of approximately ₹30,000 crore with a targeted annual capacity of 1.2 million gross tonnes. A Centre-State special purpose vehicle (SPV) involving the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board and Visakhapatnam Port Authority has been formed for the project implementation.
National Maritime Context
The Central government has allocated ₹70,000 crore in financing support for shipbuilding and other maritime activities as part of India's objective to become one of the world's top five shipbuilding nations. National initiatives including Sagarmala, Maritime India Vision 2030, and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 envisage total investments of ₹80 lakh crore for developing a globally competitive maritime economy. Additional schemes include the ₹10,000-crore Container Manufacturing Scheme to promote indigenous container production and the proposed ₹10,000-crore Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme to harness the potential of India's 12,000-kilometer coastline.
Technology and Investment Focus
Smart ports powered by artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, automation, and digital logistics platforms were emphasized as central to improving efficiency and competitiveness. Four Global Maritime Investment Summits have attracted investments worth approximately ₹25 lakh crore in India's maritime sector. The Minister called for strong partnerships between Central and state governments, industry, and global investors to accelerate port development, shipbuilding, ship repair, cruise tourism, coastal shipping, and maritime industrialization.