India Holds Maritime Talks with Saudi Arabia, Belgium and Bhutan

Saudi Arabia has expressed interest in investing in Indian port projects, including Vadhavan and Galathea Bay, as well as the Maritime Development Fund, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said.

Sonowal held bilateral meetings with representatives from Saudi Arabia, Belgium and Bhutan during the second day of Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue 2026 in New Delhi.

The discussions brought investment, shipbuilding, seafarer training, green shipping and inland waterway connectivity into focus.

Saudi Arabia talks focus on investment and supply chains

The discussions with Saudi Arabia also covered cooperation in shipbuilding and seafarer training.

The two sides discussed strengthening maritime supply chains, alongside the possibility of Saudi investment in Indian port projects and the Maritime Development Fund.

The projects named in the discussions were Vadhavan and Galathea Bay.

India, Belgium explore green shipping corridor

With Flemish Minister for Mobility, Public Works, Ports and Sport Annick De Ridder, Sonowal proposed exploring a green shipping corridor linking Indian ports with Antwerp-Bruges.

The discussions with Belgium covered green fuels, smart port technologies and dredging.

VOC Port also signed an agreement with the Port of Antwerp for capacity building in green shipping and green fuels.

The proposed corridor and the agreement place green fuels and port technology at the centre of the India-Belgium maritime engagement.

Bhutan cargo links through waterways

With Bhutan’s Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Chandra Bahadur Gurung, Sonowal discussed the potential of National Waterway-2 and the Jogighopa terminal as gateways for Bhutanese cargo to global markets.

The two sides also explored the use of the Manas and Sankosh rivers.

They discussed maritime training for Bhutanese youth at the upcoming Centre of Excellence in Dibrugarh.

The proposed waterways and terminal connection are intended to support Bhutanese cargo access to global markets, according to the focus of the discussions.

Wider maritime engagements

Sonowal said India’s maritime partnerships were expanding across the Gulf, Europe and its neighbourhood.

He stressed the need to convert dialogue into investment, technology and research partnerships.

Separately, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur held meetings with representatives from Greece, Lithuania, Mozambique and Myanmar.

Those discussions included direct shipping links, green ports, shipbuilding, ship repair, seafarer training, the next phase of Sittwe Port and cross-border inland water trade.

The range of engagements extended the discussions beyond port investment to shipping connectivity, maritime skills and regional inland water trade.

Sonowal highlights capacity growth

Addressing a press conference, Sonowal said India had moved from “maritime potential to maritime performance” under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said port capacity had risen from 1,561 million tonnes per annum to 2,817 MTPA over the past 12 years.

Inland waterways cargo had increased from 29 million tonnes to 218 million tonnes, while median container vessel turnaround time had fallen from 35 hours to 23 hours.

India’s seafarer workforce had grown from 1.27 lakh to 3.23 lakh, making the country the world’s second-largest supplier of seafarers.

The number of active women seafarers increased from 1,599 in 2021 to 7,033 in 2025.

India is targeting a 20% share of women seafarers by 2030.

Sonowal also highlighted plans to develop green hydrogen, ammonia and methanol capacity and position Indian ports as green-fuel bunkering hubs as part of the country’s Net Zero 2070 commitment.

Source: The Hindu