BS Infra Summit: Shipbuilding and logistics to anchor India's maritime map

Maritime sector weathers global uncertainties despite disrupted demand

India’s maritime future rests on a strong push for shipbuilding and logistics, powered by technology, industry experts said in a panel discussion with Business Standard’s Ruchika Chitravanshi at the Business Standard Infrastructure Summit on Thursday.

 

“The government is very interested in building our maritime interests. We have lagged for two decades. In the next 15-20 years, we must substantially increase our market share in shipbuilding. We need eco-centres: one for shipbuilding and another to enhance the use of Indian-flagged vessels,” said Captain Amit Singh, head of business, MOL South Asia Middle East, Mitsui OSK Lines.

 

Currently, India’s share in global shipbuilding stands at around 0.06 per cent, with 5 per cent maritime control over its own tonnage. India aims to become one of the world’s top five shipbuilders by 2047.

 

Industry stakeholders also agreed that the country’s logistics landscape is seeing positive changes, driven by growing infrastructure, more private ports, and increasing efficiency at state-owned ports, supported by government initiatives such as Gati Shakti and the National Logistics Policy.

 

“We see the impact of the Gati Shakti programme on Indian logistics, with the e-way bill and goods and services tax. There’s also a lot of positive influence from infrastructure improvements at container freight stations,” said Kapil Mahajan, chief information and technology officer, Allcargo Logistics.

 

While the sector has recognised the need to adopt technology, particularly artificial intelligence, experts stressed the importance of developing Indian technology-enabled global logistics platforms.

 

The leaders also said that the logistics startup ecosystem needs careful nurturing. “The main problem is scaling. Startups often have to expand outside India to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, China, or the US. People want to experiment, but when it comes to investing money and awarding large contracts, challenges arise,” Mahajan added.

 

Addressing recent global uncertainties, industry leaders said the sector, long accustomed to volatility, is adapting with resilience while preparing for long-term transformation.

 

Singh emphasised that the maritime economy is experiencing a “changed scenario” rather than outright disruption, noting that shipping has historically been adept at handling change.

 

Meanwhile, Mahajan pointed out that demand patterns in export-import trade have been disrupted, with vessel movements affected by global conflicts. “It’s a spiral right now. It’s very difficult to predict. All our prediction engines are going haywire because you can’t feed enough external stimulus into the system,” he said, adding that rising costs and delays have made consumption patterns volatile worldwide.