Pariksha SaathiSarbananda Sonowal outlines plan to double the share of coastal and inland waterway shipping in India's freight movement from 6% to 12% by 2047
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said at a Consultative Committee meeting in Puri, Odisha, that the government is working to double the share of coastal and inland waterway shipping in India's freight movement from 6% to 12% by 2047, and to attract one million sea cruise passengers by 2029, through the Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme and the Cruise Bharat Mission, the Ministry said on 3 November 2026; these are targets, not achievements. The Minister also announced that the Puri International Cruise Terminal will be developed by Paradip Port Authority (PPA) in partnership with the Government of Odisha, at a likely cost of Rs 1,500 crore. Sonowal said coastal cargo at Indian ports has grown from 74 million metric tons to 177 million metric tons over the past 12 years, growth of about 140%; India has more than 11,000 km of coastline. The Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme, announced in the 2026-27 budget, will offer incentives to cargo owners, coastal vessel operators and multimodal transport operators. On cruises, Sonowal said India recorded 462,661 ocean cruise passengers and 212 vessel calls in the 2025-26 fiscal year, a 5.5-fold rise in passenger traffic and a 2.1-fold rise in vessel calls since 2013-14; the Cruise Bharat Mission, launched in September 2024, targets one million sea cruise passengers and 400,000 jobs by March 2029. Sonowal said 143 river cruise terminals and landing points are operational, and that the two initiatives together are expected to generate more than 560,000 jobs and save 16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. He also highlighted the development of National Waterway No. 5 in Odisha, estimated to cost more than Rs 13,000 crore, which is meant to link the state's industrial and mining centres, including Talcher and Kalinganagar, with ports on the east coast. Minister of State Shantanu Thakur and eight members of Parliament attended the meeting.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
On 30 September 2024, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal launched the 'Cruise Bharat Mission' from onboard the cruise ship 'Empress' at Mumbai port, saying it aims to double cruise passenger traffic within five years, i.e. by 2029. The Mission is to be implemented in three phases from 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2029: Phase 1 focuses on studies, master planning and forming cruise alliances with neighbouring countries; Phase 2 on developing new cruise terminals, marinas and destinations; and Phase 3 on integrating all cruise circuits across the Indian Subcontinent. Its key performance targets include raising sea cruise passengers from 0.5 million in Phase 1 to 1 million by Phase 3 and sea cruise calls from 125 to 500, river cruise passengers from 0.5 million to 1.5 million, international cruise terminals from 2 to 10, river cruise terminals from 50 to 100 and marinas from 1 to 5, with employment generated rising from 0.1 million to 0.4 million by the final phase. The Mission targets three cruise segments - Ocean & Harbour, River & Inland, and Island cruises - and sets out initiatives under five strategic pillars.
Check yourself: from onboard which cruise ship and at which port was the Cruise Bharat Mission launched on 30 September 2024, and over what period is it to be implemented?
Onboard the cruise ship 'Empress' at Mumbai port; in three phases from 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2029.
Revision task: from this release, note the freight-share target, the share it starts from and the target year, the sea cruise passenger target, the cruise terminal to be developed at Puri, by whom and at what likely cost, the growth in coastal cargo, the scheme announced in the 2026-27 budget, the cruise figures for 2025-26, the expected jobs and emission savings and National Waterway No. 5; from the note, the launch date, venue and phases of the Cruise Bharat Mission and its targets for sea cruise passengers and employment. Remember that the freight-share figure is a target, not an achievement.
Test yourself
According to Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal (Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, 3 November 2026), the government is working to double the share of coastal and inland waterway shipping in India's freight movement to what level by 2047?
Show the answer
Answer: 12%
Sonowal said at a Consultative Committee meeting in Puri that the government is working to double this share from 6% to 12% by 2047 through the Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme and the Cruise Bharat Mission; 6% is the share it starts from, not the target, and 12% is a target, not an achievement. The two initiatives together are expected to generate more than 560,000 jobs and save 16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
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