On October 27 2025, India launched the India Maritime Week 2025 (IMW 2025) in Mumbai with high-level involvement from the central and state governments. The event organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) and the Indian Ports Association (IPA) is being held at the NESCO exhibition grounds and will bring together global maritime leaders, industry stakeholders and policymakers under the theme “Uniting Oceans, One Maritime Vision.”
This five-day event (October 27–31) highlights India’s strategic push to raise its role in the global marine realm, boost its Blue Economy potential and integrate its coastal states with national maritime prosperity.
Why does it matter?
- India’s coastline stretches over 7,500 kilometres and the maritime industry accounts for over 7% of its GDP making the maritime domain critical to national economic and geopolitical objectives.
- By presenting itself as a maritime hub, India hopes to use its strategic location at the crossroads of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to improve connectivity, logistics, shipbuilding, port facilities and maritime services.
- The title “Uniting Oceans, One Maritime Vision” represents a shift away from simply national port-centric thinking towards a more integrated, regional and global perspective harmonising with India’s Indo-Pacific strategy and Blue Economy ambitions.
- With global supply chains under strain and competition increasing (especially in Southeast Asia), India is looking to attract investment, technology and maritime trade flows.
Key Highlights of IMW 2025
- Amit Shah (Union Home Minister) will open the event which will be attended by chief ministers from key coastal states including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Odisha.
- Stakeholders from over 50 countries are anticipated, including port operators, shipping lines, shipbuilders, financial enterprises, maritime-green-tech companies and academics.
- The agenda covers topics such as port modernisation, logistics corridor development, shipping decarbonisation, shipbuilding and repair, coastal tourism, maritime renewable energy and regulatory facilitation.
- Special zones and investment summits would be established to encourage private sector engagement, showing India’s openness to global capital and technology in the maritime domain.
Challenges & Strategic Considerations
- The true difficulty is completing world-class ports and logistics corridors quickly while maintaining environmental controls and negotiating coastal-community interests.
- India must balance expansion with clean fuel transitions, digitisation and green shipping corridors to achieve maritime decarbonisation, which accounts for around 3% of global CO₂ emissions.
- Capacity and institutional cooperation across several agencies (ports, shipping, coastal states, and ministries) will determine success i.e. pan-state alignment remains a challenge.
- Regional geopolitics in the IOR (China-Pakistan port ambitions, Indo-Pacific competition) ensure that India’s maritime push will encounter strategic friction – maritime diplomacy must coexist with infrastructure development.
Way forward
- India should move quickly from rhetoric to investment by developing clear road maps for port clusters, shipbuilding centres and marine-tech corridors.
- Coastal-state collaboration is critical: connect state maritime policies with national policy and promote private-public partnerships in ports, logistics and marine services.
- Green shipping and alternative fuel pathways (LNG, ammonia, and hydrogen) must be prioritised in order for India to become a future-ready maritime hub.
- Data-driven marine governance (port-data platforms and real-time logistics dashboards) will increase openness, efficiency and investor trust.
Finally India could use IMW 2025 to project soft power providing training centres, marine research partnerships and connectivity ties with its Indian Ocean neighbours will boost its maritime leadership.
India Maritime Week 2025 commemorates a watershed point in India’s maritime history, from coastal nation to worldwide shipping and logistics powerhouse. After setting goals, the emphasis must move to delivering results, ensuring sustainability, and maintaining strategic alignment. If India succeeds, it will reposition its Blue Economy while also reshaping its place in the Indo-Pacific and global maritime order.
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About the Author: Jyoti Verma
