Gujarat is the state with longest coastline of about 2,340.6km, which is one of the key reasons for its maritime prowess. Capitalising on this detail was Nilabhra Dasgupta, the Deputy Chairperson of the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA)—one of the key dignitaries at THE WEEK Maritime Conclave 2026 in Ahmedabad.
“We meet at a particularly interesting time in India's maritime journey, as the sector is changing radically. A modern port is a comprehensive economic ecosystem: cargo creates trade, trade creates industry, industry creates investment, investment generates employment, and employment brings prosperity,” he said at the two-day event.
Linking the development of India’s ports to the country’s overall prosperity, Dasgupta noted that the emerging question was not whether these ports could handle cargo in line with international standards, but how much prosperity they are capable of bringing into the equation.
The conversation then steered towards the Deendayal Port, which is not only the state’s flagship maritime facility, but also the nation’s busiest port in terms of cargo handling, contributing 160.11 million metric tonnes (MMT) to the total major port cargo throughput of 915.17 MMT in FY 2025-26.
“With ever-increasing cargo volumes, we are concurrently building capacity and are well on our way to adding another 100 MMT through advanced container terminals, multi-cargo berths, and outer harbour expansion,” Dasgupta said.
There is also an attempt to boost the port-led ecosystem beyond cargo. As part of these efforts, nearly 2,000 acres have been allocated for shipbuilding and repair, in addition to a modern floating dry dock being constructed in collaboration with Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) to service larger vessels.
The DPA had also placed an order for India's first all-electric tug under the Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP).
Dasgupta also talked about the Gujarat-based port’s green push, describing how plans are underway to increase the capacity of India's first megawatt-scale green hydrogen plant by another 5 MW—just a year after its construction.
Notably, the Deendayal Port is one of the country’s three designated Green Hydrogen Hubs, with the others being the V.O. Chidambaranar Port in Tuticorin and the Paradip Port in Odisha.
He said that the DPA was ready to take its next step: laying the foundation stone for an e-methanol plant with a capacity of 150 metric tonnes per year.
THE WEEK Maritime Conclave 2026 was headlined by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, along with Riyad Mathew, Chief Associate Editor and Director, THE WEEK; S.K. Purohit, CMD, Tuticorin and Paradip Ports; and former Indian Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh (Retd).
