Blitz Bureau
THE Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, formulated by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, builds on the Maritime India Vision 2030 and aims to develop world-class ports and promote inland water transport, coastal shipping, and a sustainable maritime sector. It encompasses aspirations in logistics, infrastructure, and shipping, supporting India’s ‘Blue Economy’.
The vision, shaped through over 150 consultations with various stakeholders and the analysis of 50 international benchmarks, outlines more than 300 actionable initiatives for enhancing ports, shipping, and waterways by 2047. The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) was launched during India’s G20 presidency and aims to integrate India, Europe and the Middle-East through UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and the European Union. It is an important initiative that can add to India’s maritime security and faster movement of goods between Europe and Asia.
One Nation One Port
The IMEC will reduce the logistics costs by up to 30 per cent and transportation time by 40 per cent. In April this year, and IMEC high-level roundtable on connectivity and economic growth was held in New Delhi.
The ‘One Nation One Port Process (ONOP)’ initiative focuses on mapping and standardising port processes and documentation. This involves conducting a comprehensive review of the existing procedures and documents exchanged within the port value chain across all major ports which cover various cargo types, including containers, dry bulk, and liquid bulk, as well as different movement categories such as exportimport, trans-shipment, and coastal operations.
Six port clusters, are being developed as Mega Ports by the year 2047. Out of these, four port clusters are CochinVizhinjam port cluster, Galathea South Bay Port, Chennai-Kamarajar-Cuddalore Port cluster, Paradip and other non-major ports cluster with capacity of more than 300 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) and two are Deendayal and Tuna Tekra port cluster and Jawaharlal Nehru-Vadhavan port cluster with capacity of more than 500 MTPA.
Work under progress
These activities are included in the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision, 2047. The works for infrastructure enhancement and capacity augmentation in the Major Ports are already under progress through Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode and also through internal resources. The inauguration of the Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport marks a transformative moment in India’s maritime journey, reinforcing the nation’s commit ment to becoming a global trade and logistics hub.
With its strategic location, state-of-theart infrastructure, and alignment with key Government initiatives, Vizhinjam is poised to significantly boost India’s economic growth, regional connectivity, and global shipping competitiveness. As India steers into a future shaped by integrated transport corridors like the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, the Vizhinjam Seaport stands as a beacon of progress, sustainability, and strategic foresight.
