India’s maritime sector stands at the precipice of transformation, poised to reclaim its legacy as a global maritime power. From the dockyards of Lothal to the port of Arikamedu that linked India to the Mediterranean, the nation once shaped world trade through stitched-plank ships, catamarans, and mastery of the monsoon seas. Over time, India’s share in global trade declined as the economy faltered under colonial rule, which in turn stifled the growth of its maritime sector.

Today, as the sector handles 95% of India’s trade by volume and 68% by value, it stands at a critical juncture. The September 2025 DPIIT Report pegs logistics costs at 7.97% of GDP—an improvement, yet still above global benchmarks. This resurgence hinges on overcoming deep-rooted challenges—ageing infrastructure and fragmented coordination—through bold, innovative measures that can once again make India’s ports engines of progress and symbols of maritime excellence.

V.O. Chidambaranar, who challenged the British monopoly in maritime trade, said, “A free India shall command the seas and find her wealth in the oceans.” His vision of maritime self-reliance finds new life in the Maritime India Vision 2030 (MIV 2030) and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 (MAKV 2047), which together provide the framework for innovation, sustainability, and transformation in India’s maritime sector.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPS&W) has spearheaded the Sagarmala Start-up and Innovation Initiative (S2I2), establishing a national framework to nurture maritime innovation. The Maritime India Foundation (MIF) serves as the key funding institution, connecting ports, start-ups, and Maritime Innovation Hubs (MIHs) at IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, and IMU Chennai. Under this model, problem statements are sourced directly from ports and shipping industry and offered to start-ups as innovation challenges.

MIHs provide technical assistance to develop viable solutions and implement pilot projects in selected ports. This creates a structured pathway for proof-of-concept, validation, and eventual commercialisation for which MIF will provide cumulative funding support up to ₹1.8 crore. The recent “MAR-a-thon—India’s Maritime Hackathon” initiative, launched under this model, has already received over 330 applications from over 100 start-ups, signalling the growing confidence of young innovators in India’s maritime ecosystem. MoUs with the selected start-ups are proposed to be concluded during the upcoming India Maritime Week, scheduled to be held from October 27-31, 2025, marking a significant step toward translating innovation into implementation.

The central element of innovation in India’s maritime sector lies in digital transformation, which rests on two pillars—information architecture and technological convergence.

Information architecture focusses on seamless data exchange among the many stakeholders that drive port operations—customs, shipping lines, freight forwarders, stevedores, transporters, and warehouse operators. Today, each operates through separate systems, causing inefficiency and opacity. A unified digital framework is essential for real-time coordination and transparency.

India has already begun building this foundation through the National Logistics Portal (NLP Marine), a single-window platform for vessel and cargo operations; the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (Ulip), integrating over 44 government systems through 136 APIs; and PM Gati Shakti, which maps more than 1,600 infrastructure layers on a GIS-based platform to align digital and physical planning. In addition, the One Nation One Port Process (ONOPP) is standardising documentation and workflows across ports, ensuring interoperability and efficiency.

Technological convergence, the second pillar, integrates emerging technologies like IoT, AI, satellite data, and 5G to make ports intelligent and adaptive. The Digital Twin, a virtual replica of port infrastructure updated with real-time data, represents this shift. The idea dates back to NASA’s Apollo missions in the 1960s, where mirrored spacecraft systems were used to simulate and troubleshoot in real time. In 2018, the Port of Rotterdam, in collaboration with Esri, IBM, Cisco, and Axians, advanced this concept through a large-scale digital twin integrating IoT and 5G for real-time vessel, weather, and infrastructure management.

For India, the way forward is a federated model—where national platforms like NLP Marine and Ulip provide shared infrastructure, while ports and start-ups build localised applications suited to regional conditions, ensuring sustainable and intelligent port growth

As India steers toward 2047, initiatives like the India Maritime Week (IMW) 2025 mark crucial steps in this transformation. During IMW, ports, start-ups, and research institutions will formalise collaborations through MoUs under the Sagarmala Start-up and Innovation Initiative, translating maritime innovation into actionable, on-ground solutions for sustainable growth.

(The author, an IAS officer, is Managing Director, Maritime India Foundation, and Deputy Chairman, Chennai Port Authority. Views are personal.)