As the Paradip Port and V.O. Chidambaranar Port continue to dominate shipping in eastern India, exciting plans are underway to help West Bengal transform itself into an important maritime hub.

In that regard, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, on Thursday met West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari to discuss a proposed maritime investment pipeline of Rs 19,209 crore by 2031.

Money through the proposed pipeline, planned under the aegis of the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, will be channelled towards projects such as the development of the Balagarh Multimodal Logistics Hub, improvements to the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMPK), boosting the inland waterways ecosystem, upgrading shipbuilding and ship repair facilities, and working on port-led industrial clusters.

The projects are also expected to generate more than 62,500 employment opportunities—both direct and indirect—and to boost the influx of maritime and logistics investments into West Bengal.

"The double engine sarkar model will deliver these projects to unlock unprecedented opportunities for trade, industry and tourism," Sonowal said at the meeting with the CM.

Sonowal added that the state was already en route to becoming a maritime hub of the East, citing the growth of cargo handling at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMPK) in Kolkata.

Specifically, he noted that SMPK's throughput had increased from 46.29 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 2014 to 70.87 MMT in 2025-26, in addition to inland waterways cargo seeing a nearly fivefold jump over the past decade.

A previous report from THE WEEK on cargo throughputs for FY 2025-26 showed that Kolkata's major ports had collectively handled 10.82 per cent more cargo as compared to the previous fiscal (63.95 MMT).

CM Adhikari also welcomed the maritime pipeline, which is in line with the Centre's goals of leveraging West Bengal's geographical location, its extensive river network, and industrial base to transform it into a leading maritime investment destination and growth engine for India.

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