Charting India’s Indo-Pacific future

WHEN Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared 2026 as the “ASEAN–India Year of Maritime Cooperation” at the ASEAN–India Summit this week, it was more than symbolism. It reflected the consolidation of India’s maritime doctrine — one that links diplomacy, development and security through the seas connecting the subcontinent to Southeast Asia.

“India has stood firmly with its ASEAN friends in every crisis,” Modi said, underlining growing cooperation in humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, maritime security and the blue economy. Calling ASEAN the main pillar of India’s Act East Policy, he reaffirmed New Delhi’s commitment to ASEAN centrality — a statement that carries weight amid shifting equations in the Indo-Pacific. According to the official read-out of the summit, Modi noted that “our cooperation in HADR, maritime security and the blue economy is growing rapidly,” and announced that 2026 would be dedicated to maritime cooperation between India and ASEAN.

The announcement also aligns with a larger domestic story. India’s maritime sector is in the middle of a structural transformation. From the Maritime India Vision 2030 (MIV 2030) to the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, the country is re-imagining its relationship with the ocean — not as a boundary, but as a bridge. The ASEAN initiative, therefore, is both a foreign-policy signal and an economic strategy: India’s next leap may well come from the sea.

The Indian Ocean has become a crowded space — a highway of trade, technology and tension. Together, ASEAN and India represent nearly a quarter of humanity, bound by shared geography and interlinked vulnerabilities. From cyclones to piracy to resource competition, regional security and sustainability now depend on collective action. Declaring 2026 as the Year of Maritime Cooperation is, therefore, not a ceremonial move. Across the Indo-Pacific, the traditional lines between economic and security policy are fading. The same sea lanes that carry energy and goods also carry risk. By focusing on the “blue economy” — sustainable use of marine resources, renewable energy and biodiversity protection — India and ASEAN are aligning economic growth with environmental balance.

This cooperation is already visible. Joint naval exercises, coast-guard training and initiatives under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative complement trade and digital connectivity. India’s repeated emphasis on ASEAN centrality reinforces a key regional principle — that smaller nations must remain active stakeholders in shaping Indo-Pacific norms, not arenas of great-power competition.

India’s regional outreach is underpinned by domestic reform. According to government data, nearly 95 per cent of India’s trade by volume and about 70 per cent by value moves through maritime routes. Ports, therefore, are not peripheral infrastructure — they are the economy’s arteries. The Maritime India Vision 2030, launched in 2021, sets out more than 150 initiatives with an investment of `3–3.5 lakh crore to modernise ports, expand shipping and promote inland waterways. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways reports that total port capacity almost doubled between 2014 and 2025 — from about 1,400 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) to 2,762 MMTPA. Major ports handled roughly 855 million tonnes of cargo in FY 2024-25, up from 819 million tonnes the previous year, while average vessel turnaround time has fallen from 93 hours to 48, indicating a significant efficiency gain.

According to ministry financial data released through the Press Information Bureau (PIB), the ports’ combined net annual surplus rose from `1,026 crore to `9,352 crore over the decade, reflecting improved cost management. India’s shipping fleet expanded from 1,205 to 1,549 vessels, and the country’s seafarer workforce grew from 1.25 lakh to over 3 lakh — about 12 per cent of the global total. These are not just improvements in capacity but in confidence: India is emerging as a credible player in global logistics and shipbuilding.

Beyond ports, a quieter transformation is underway inland. As per the Inland Waterways Authority of India (PIB release, 2025), cargo movement through inland waterways has grown more than sevenfold in a decade — from 18 million metric tonnes in 2014 to about 146 million in 2025. Operational waterways increased from three to twenty-nine, and multimodal terminals such as Haldia in West Bengal now link seamlessly with road and rail networks. In the Northeast, projects worth roughly `1,000 crore are improving connectivity, trade and tourism. Two luxury cruise ships being built for the Brahmaputra are expected to boost river tourism when launched later this decade. This shift diversifies logistics networks, lowers emissions and strengthens regional economies — goals that align with India’s green-growth and “Atmanirbhar Bharat” agendas.

Transformation at this scale requires patient capital. In September 2025, the Union Cabinet approved a `69,725 crore package to revitalise shipbuilding. It extends the Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme (SBFAS) and introduces the Shipbuilding Development Scheme (SbDS), while a `25,000 crore Maritime Development Fund offers long-term financing for fleet expansion. The upcoming Indian Ship Technology Centre in Visakhapatnam, with an investment of about `305 crore, will serve as a national R&D hub for ship design and innovation. Parallelly, the Sagarmala Programme, the Ministry notes, now includes 840 projects worth `5.8 lakh crore to improve coastal logistics and port-led development, with more than 270 projects already completed.

Looking ahead, the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 charts India’s path to the centenary of independence — and its aspiration to join the world’s top maritime powers. With projected investments approaching `80 lakh crore, the plan emphasises green corridors, hydrogen bunkering, methanol-fuelled ships and digital ports. The focus is on sustainability and innovation, aligning maritime expansion with climate responsibility. At the “Samudra Se Samriddhi” event in September 2025, the Ministry reported the signing of 27 Memoranda of Understanding worth over `66,000 crore, covering port infrastructure, shipbuilding and sustainable mobility. Major projects include the proposed Bahuda Greenfield Port in Odisha, Patna’s Water Metro using electric ferries, and a lighthouse museum at the National Maritime Heritage Complex in Lothal. These initiatives pair infrastructure with cultural and environmental awareness — viewing the sea not only as a trade route but as part of India’s civilisational heritage.

India’s maritime awakening is as strategic as it is economic. The seas that once carried traders and ideas from India to Southeast Asia are being rediscovered as pathways of power and partnership. From the Chola fleets that sailed east to the modern Indo-Pacific strategy, the thread is one of continuity with adaptation. For ASEAN, India’s engagement brings balance and reliability. For India, it brings opportunity — to secure supply chains, create jobs and project stability in the region. The ASEAN–India Year of Maritime Cooperation is a chance to turn shared history into shared progress.

As global supply chains realign and climate change reshapes coastlines, India’s maritime agenda — rooted in inclusivity, sustainability and partnership — offers a model worth emulating. From Vision 2030 to Amrit Kaal 2047, the nation is steering confidently from vision to voyage. In the great ocean of the 21st century, India is no longer content to be carried by the current. It is learning to steer.

Profile:  The writer is a policy analyst specialising in maritime strategy, regional cooperation, and sustainable development.