Sonowal Begins Four-Day South Korea Shipbuilding Visit

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal began a four-day visit to South Korea, opening the trip in Busan, which he described as the hub of the Korean maritime industry. The visit is meant to widen shipbuilding cooperation between the two countries and to carry India towards its stated goal of ranking among the world's top five shipbuilding nations by 2047.

How the visit opened

In Busan the minister met Indian professionals employed across the Korean shipbuilding sector. India's Ambassador to South Korea, Gourangalal Das, welcomed the gathering, which drew people working with Samsung Heavy Industries, Hanwha Ocean, HD Hyundai, DNV and the Indian Register of Shipping. Sonowal called their presence in one of the most advanced shipbuilding ecosystems in the world a matter of pride for the country, and asked them to act as living bridges between the industries of the two nations.

The VOYAGES framework

Sonowal drew attention to VOYAGES, the cooperation framework the two countries adopted in April, when South Korean President Lee Jae Myung made a state visit to India. It covers shipbuilding, shipping and maritime logistics. The minister urged Indian professionals to treat it as a platform for their own careers and for the maritime future of the country, rather than only as an understanding between two governments.

India's maritime targets

The push was placed within Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, under which India wants to become a globally competitive centre for shipbuilding, ship repair, maritime manufacturing and logistics. The minister recalled that the Union Cabinet cleared a set of policy incentives for the sector in September 2025. He said the sector will need far more marine engineers, naval architects, welders, designers, project managers and technology specialists, and asked the professionals either to bring their Korean experience home or to support Indian companies from Korea.

What the rest of the trip holds

Sonowal sought practical suggestions on three questions: how shipyard productivity and project execution can improve, how a globally competitive skilled workforce can be built, and how the industries of the two countries can work together more closely on technology, manufacturing and innovation. He also pointed to the India Ship Technology Centre and to the shipbuilding skills partnership between India and the Korea International Cooperation Agency. His schedule includes meetings with leaders of global shipbuilding firms, maritime industry bodies and research institutions, and a ministerial roundtable in Busan for World Maritime Day, where ministers of major maritime nations and the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organisation are expected.