<p data-path-to-node="5" id="p-rc_347650946eac3a08-115" style="font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-508 citation-end-508" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">In an institutional push to lower national logistics overheads, Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), chaired a comprehensive review meeting to assess the growth parameters of India's coastal shipping networks.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c23789111="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c23789111="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="1" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> The high-level session concluded with the draft layout of an actionable roadmap aimed at eliminating structural bottlenecks, upgrading minor and major port infrastructure, and heavily scaling the modal share of cargo shifted from land routes to sea lanes.<sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c4003859877="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c4003859877="" _nghost-ng-c3443522761="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="6" style="font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">The strategy directly supports overarching goals established under national maritime policies, ensuring that regulatory mechanisms keep pace with evolving domestic trade loops and infrastructure targets.</p><h3 data-path-to-node="8" style="font-family: "Google Sans", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="8" data-index-in-node="0" style="font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Inter-Ministerial Infrastructure Push Seeks to Accelerate Domestic Short-Sea Transit Loops</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="9" id="p-rc_347650946eac3a08-116" style="font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-507 citation-end-507" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">The review focused on creating deep institutional coordination to build long-term supply chain resilience across the Indian peninsula:<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c23789111="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c23789111="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="2" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c4003859877="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c4003859877="" _nghost-ng-c3443522761="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><ul data-path-to-node="10" style="padding-inline-start: 32px; font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="10,0,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="10,0,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Targeting Modal Shifts:</b> The primary objective of the newly charted roadmap is to expand the current volume of domestic cargo carried via coastal vessels. Transitioning heavy commodities such as coal, iron ore, and steel away from oversaturated rail and highway networks onto dedicated sea routes forms the backbone of MoPSW’s long-term logistics strategy.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="10,1,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="10,1,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Expanding Regional Port Integration:</b> To guarantee the viability of these loops, the review emphasized upgrading the feeder networks linking non-major state ports with primary maritime hubs. This framework aims to simplify regional transshipment operations, trim vessel waiting cycles, and lower overall aggregate shipping expenses for domestic cargo handlers.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="10,2,0" id="p-rc_347650946eac3a08-117" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-506" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"></span><b data-path-to-node="10,2,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Regulatory and Procedural Cleanouts:</b><span class="citation-506 citation-end-506" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Minister Sonowal directed senior officials to focus on driving digital governance and simplifying ease-of-doing-business parameters for coastal operators.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c23789111="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c23789111="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="3" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> The ministry intends to streamline customs procedures and standardize documentation for domestic maritime freight, detaching it from the cumbersome regulatory layers typically reserved for international EXIM containers.<sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c4003859877="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c4003859877="" _nghost-ng-c3443522761="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="10,3,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="10,3,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Fostering Public-Private Capital Inflow:</b> The administrative roadmap relies heavily on capturing private sector capital to scale up specialized coastal fleets, including Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessels, specialized liquid chemical tankers, and shallow-draft container feeders. This structural expansion will be supported by long-term investment models backed by central programs.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="10,4,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="10,4,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Securing Multimodal Grid Alignment:</b> Under the guidance of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the ministry is prioritizing seamless first- and last-mile connectivity. Planners are designing targeted road-rail links directly inside port gates to eliminate shoreside staging delays and establish high-velocity cargo flow between coastal vessels and inland manufacturing hubs.</p></li></ul>
MoPSW Charts New Roadmap to Boost Coastal Shipping Logistics
In an institutional push to lower national logistics overheads, Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), chaired a comprehensive review meeting to assess the growth parameters of India's coastal shipping networks. The high-level session concluded with the draft layout of an actionable roadmap aimed at eliminating structural bottlenecks, upgrading minor and major port infrastructure, and heavily scaling the modal share of cargo shifted from land routes to sea lanes.
