India’s maritime geography is rich, it has a 7,517 km-long coastline, where lie nine coastal states that are home to a number of ports that handle some 1,400 million tonnes of cargo every year. India being peninsular, its maritime linkages have historically involved trade, religion, and culture; these early associations, however, were severed over time. In more recent years, since 2014, the focus on maritime capacity development and outreach has grown manifold with national policies being dedicated to the development of the maritime sector. 

Approximately 95% of India’s merchandise trade is done through sea ports. The Government of India planned to modernize the country’s ports through a project called Sagarmala. It is the flagship programme of the Union Ministry of Shipping and Waterways to promote and develop ports in the country by harnessing India’s 7500 km-long coastline and potentially navigable waterways. Sagarmala is considered to be a gamechanger for the maritime sector due to its focus on port-led development.