Maharashtra to unveil countrys most investor-friendly maritime policy, says Nitesh Rane

Addressing the inaugural session of the FICCIs Maritime India Conference & Expo 2026, Rane noted that the upcoming policy framework would offer single-window clearances alongside dedicated administrative facilitation to prospective maritime enterprises.

"Investors will receive red carpet treatment and single-window clearance," Rane said.

He pointed to a recent tripartite pact inked between the Maharashtra government, the Centre, and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders to establish the country's largest shipyard. The project entails an investment of Rs 26,500 crore and projected employment generation for approximately 50,000 personnel.

Rane noted that every memorandum the state signed at last years India Maritime Summit has since become an actual investment.

He added that the administration issued its dedicated policy on shipbuilding, repair, and recycling within its initial 100 days of governance. Under this regulatory mechanism, authorities extended targeted support to project developers in securing environmental permissions and completing land acquisition proceedings, which he identified as the primary operational challenges confronting commercial shipbuilders.

Echoing the sector's operational trajectory, FICCI President-Elect and Chairman of Sanmar Group Vijay Sankar noted that major ports across India handled an unprecedented 915 million tonnes of cargo during financial year 2025-26, reflecting a 7 per cent annual growth rate that surpassed projected operational targets.

Sankar observed that the Centres Rs 70,000 crore budgetary package for shipbuilding and port-allied operations presented substantial financial potential for regional administrations.

"Indias maritime transformation is not simply an infrastructure story," Sankar said. "It is a story of economic competitiveness, strategic capability and national ambition."

Sankar outlined three core operational priorities identified by domestic industry stakeholders: developing integrated logistical systems, aligning private capital deployment with central policy frameworks, and retaining greater economic value from handled maritime freight by transporting higher volumes of domestic cargo aboard Indian-flagged vessels.

The session also drew representation from partner nation the Netherlands. Consul and Deputy Head of Mission at the Netherlands Consulate General in Mumbai, Thierry Van Helden, urged stakeholders to convert bilateral ambitions under the IndiaNetherlands Green and Digital Sea Corridor into commercially viable ventures, confirming that a Dutch shipbuilding trade delegation would tour India in February 2027.

Meanwhile, industry representatives and public officials highlighted expanding logistics capacity. JM Baxi Managing Director Dhruv Kotak urged equipment manufacturers to leverage Indias skilled workforce, while Directorate General of Maritime Administration Nautical Adviser SI Abul Kalam Azad noted statutory ship registration timelines stood reduced to 24 hours.

At the same time, Shipping Corporation of India Chairman Binesh Tyagi pointed to consolidated order pipelines across hydrocarbon and container segments, as Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority Chairperson Gaurav Dayal projected port throughput to cross 9 million TEUs this year.

FICCI also released four knowledge reports at the inaugural session, prepared in collaboration with PwC, Kearney, EY and Crisil Intelligence. The reports examine the development of smart and future-ready ports, improvements in hinterland connectivity and cargo evacuation, the scaling up of India's shipbuilding and ship repair capacity, and opportunities to establish a globally competitive domestic container manufacturing industry.

The report suggests that India could target 810 per cent of global container manufacturing capacity, equivalent to 480,000600,000 TEUs annually, within five years. It recommends a coordinated national container manufacturing mission, competitive access to container-grade steel, port-linked manufacturing clusters, testing and certification infrastructure, and assured procurement commitments from shipping lines and leasing companies. (ANI)