THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU
MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 3, 2026
India needs to shift its maritime strategy beyond expanding port capacity
and focus on strengthening inland connectivity, logistics coordination and
shipping services to emerge as a globally competitive trade hub, according to a
report jointly released by industry body FICCI and consultancy firm Kearney.
Titled 'India’s Maritime Agenda for 2030: From Efficient Ports to
Globally Connected Trade Gateways', the report argues that the next phase of
India's maritime growth will depend not merely on additional berths and cranes
but on seamless connectivity between ports, industrial clusters and domestic
and international markets.
Highlighting the growing mismatch between cargo volumes and infrastructure
expansion, the report said cargo handled at India's major and non-major ports
increased 38 per cent from 1,209 million tonnes in FY2017-18 to 1,668 million
tonnes in FY2025-26, while handling capacity expanded by just 22 per cent to
2.8 billion tonnes annually.
Consequently, port capacity utilisation improved from 52 per cent to 59
per cent, indicating that India still has considerable infrastructure headroom.
Average vessel turnaround time at major ports also declined 18 per cent to
around 49 hours, reflecting improvements in operational efficiency.
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), Pipavav and Mundra have also
secured places among the world's top 30 ports in the World Bank's Container
Port Performance Index 2025, underscoring India's progress in port performance.
However, the report flagged logistics coordination and post-clearance
movement of cargo as major constraints, pointing out that 84 per cent of the
measured export processing time occurs after regulatory approval.
At the four major seaports covered by the 2025 National Time Release
Study, export approval took an average of around 30 hours, while the period
between approval and vessel departure stretched to approximately 158 hours.
Similarly, customs clearance for exports at Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House
averaged just two hours and 12 minutes in 2026, but the overall export cycle
exceeded eight days.
The report clarified that the extended period also includes logistics
operations and scheduled waiting, rather than solely avoidable delays, but
stressed the need for better coordination among stakeholders to improve cargo
movement and shipment reliability.
India's dependence on overseas ports for transshipment also remains a
concern, with nearly 75 per cent of its transshipment containers being handled
at foreign ports as of May 2025.
While the commissioning of the deepwater Vizhinjam port in May 2025 has strengthened
India's domestic transshipment capabilities, the report noted that attracting
and retaining shipping-line rotations remains a significant challenge in
establishing a globally competitive transshipment hub.
On private participation, the report said privately operated terminals
currently handle around two-thirds of cargo at major ports, against the
government's target of 85 per cent by 2030 under the Major Port Authorities
Act, 2021.
Connectivity with hinterland markets also requires accelerated
investment. Of the 294 road and rail projects identified to improve port
connectivity, only 84 had been completed by July 2026. However, the full
commissioning of the 1,506-km Western Dedicated Freight Corridor connecting
JNPA with Dadri in March 2026 marks a significant step towards improving
freight movement.
Drawing lessons from globally successful maritime hubs such as
Shanghai-Ningbo, Rotterdam, Jebel Ali and Singapore, the FICCI-Kearney report
has called for differentiated development strategies for four categories of
Indian maritime gateways: container gateways, transshipment hubs, industrial
and energy gateways, and specialised export corridors.
It has recommended that the Centre and state governments identify the
specific cargo segments, industrial hinterlands and international markets that
each priority gateway should serve, ensuring that infrastructure investments
are aligned with actual demand.
The report also called for prioritising road and rail connectivity based
on cargo movement patterns, in coordination with the ministries concerned,
while making greater use of shipment data and time-release studies to identify
bottlenecks across the logistics chain.
Emphasising the need for stronger institutional accountability, it
proposed appointing a designated coordinator for every major gateway to oversee
implementation, with each intervention assigned a responsible agency, funding
mechanism and time-bound milestone.
Performance should be measured not merely through cargo volumes or infrastructure additions but also through total shipment costs, transit reliability, market access, cargo growth and commercial returns, it said.
The report concluded that India's maritime ambitions for 2030 would require a transition from building efficient ports to creating integrated, commercially competitive and globally connected trade gateways, with coordinated action by government, port operators, shipping companies and logistics players.
