Sonowal Plans to Double Coastal Freight Share to 12% by 2047

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal has set out a plan to double the share of coastal and inland waterway shipping in the country's freight movement from 6 per cent to 12 per cent by 2047. He was speaking at a meeting of his ministry's Consultative Committee on coastal and cruise shipping held at Puri, Odisha, attended by Minister of State Shantanu Thakur and eight members of Parliament. Two proposed initiatives carry the plan: the Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme and the Cruise Bharat Mission. Together they are expected to create more than 560,000 jobs and avoid 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Puri cruise terminal announced

The Minister announced that a Puri International Cruise Terminal will be built by the Paradip Port Authority in partnership with the Government of Odisha, at a likely cost of Rs 1,500 crore. He also pointed to National Waterway No. 5 in Odisha, estimated to cost more than Rs 13,000 crore, which is to connect industrial and mining centres such as Talcher and Kalinganagar with ports on the east coast.

Cargo by sea

India has a coastline of more than 11,000 kilometres, or about 6,800 miles, which the Minister described as a natural advantage for moving goods over long distances with less pollution. Coastal cargo handled at Indian ports has climbed from 74 million tonnes to 177 million tonnes in twelve years, a rise of roughly 140 per cent. The Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme, announced in the 2026-27 budget, will give incentives to cargo owners, coastal vessel operators and multimodal transport operators who move consignments by more than one mode, such as ship, rail and road.

Cruise figures

The Cruise Bharat Mission was launched in September 2024. On the rivers, twenty cruise circuits across 16 National Waterways are already running and fifty-one more have been identified for development in phases, while 143 river cruise terminals and landing points are operational. Members of Parliament offered suggestions on maritime infrastructure in their regions, and the Minister said the sector had changed greatly over the last twelve years and was moving towards a competitive and sustainable maritime ecosystem for a Viksit Bharat.