Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal declared India's commitment to becoming a global maritime leader by focusing on operational excellence and rapid execution. The nation's port handling capacity has seen substantial growth, with projections for further expansion by 2030, driven by technological advancements and the Sagarmala program. The THE WEEK Maritime Conclave 2026 in Ahmedabad serves as a vital forum for discussing crucial aspects of the maritime sector, including strategy, security, and innovation, with the ultimate goal of achieving India's Maritime Vision 2047.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal declared India's commitment to becoming a global maritime leader by focusing on operational excellence and rapid execution. The nation's port handling capacity has seen substantial growth, with projections for further expansion by 2030, driven by technological advancements and the Sagarmala program. The THE WEEK Maritime Conclave 2026 in Ahmedabad serves as a vital forum for discussing crucial aspects of the maritime sector, including strategy, security, and innovation, with the ultimate goal of achieving India's Maritime Vision 2047.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal declared India's commitment to becoming a global maritime leader by focusing on operational excellence and rapid execution. The nation's port handling capacity has seen substantial growth, with projections for further expansion by 2030, driven by technological advancements and the Sagarmala program. The THE WEEK Maritime Conclave 2026 in Ahmedabad serves as a vital forum for discussing crucial aspects of the maritime sector, including strategy, security, and innovation, with the ultimate goal of achieving India's Maritime Vision 2047.

“In all the sectors, if we could demonstrate our power of excellence and power of performance, then the global society will accept us as a world leader”, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal declared at the launch of THE WEEK Maritime Conclave 2026 in Ahmedabad, as he detailed the nation’s operational strides to transform India's maritime sector into a global powerhouse.

Doubling down on the need for rapid execution and adherence to global standards, Sonowal urged stakeholders: “We cannot move slowly; we have to go faster than a bullet train! These will help India evolve into an efficient, world-class shipping hub,” he declared.

The two-day summit brings together maritime policymakers, defence personnel, shipping giants, shipbuilders, and seafarers.

The event began with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp by Union  Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, along with Riyad Mathew, the Chief Associate Editor and Director, THE WEEK, The Malayala Manorama Group, former Indian Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh (Retd.), Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) Deputy Chairperson Nilabhra Dasgupta, and Vivek Sharma, Development and Regulatory Affairs head of AP Moller Maersk.

In his detailed keynote address at the Conclave, the Union Minister detailed on the capacity and logistical improvements across major Indian ports, where annual handling capacity expanded to 1,728 million tonnes from 873 million tonnes per annum a decade ago.

He pegged this growth on modern mechanisation and digitalisation under the Sagarmala programme. Looking ahead, Sonowal projected: “The Ministry is targeting more than 700 million tonnes per annum of additional port capacity by 2030.”

Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) Deputy Chairperson Nilabhra Dasgupta, former Indian Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh (Retd.) Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Vivek Sharma, Development and Regulatory Affairs head of AP Moller Maersk and Riyad Mathew, the Chief Associate Editor and Director, THE WEEK, The Malayala Manorama Group, at THE WEEK Maritime Conclave 2026 | Amey Mansabdar

Critical juncture in maritime future

“We meet at a particularly interesting time in India's maritime journey,” Nilabhra Dasgupta of DPA remarked. “The sector is changing radically: Ports are modernising. Supply chains are integrating. Technology is transforming operations. This makes a forum such as this, organised by THE WEEK, particularly relevant—a platform to exchange ideas, challenge conventional thinking, and inspire excellence and innovation.”

“Ahmedabad is a special choice…,” Sanjib KR Baruah of THE WEEK explained the rationale behind choosing the city as the venue for the 2026 edition, “Once upon a time, Ahmedabad was called the ‘Manchester of India’. But looking at its enterprise, its industry, its spirit of innovation, and its global ambition, perhaps it is time we reverse that and call Manchester the ‘Ahmedabad of England’.”

The Union Minister also hailed Gujarat as a critical maritime hub of India.

The third edition of the conclave, following the success of the inaugural Chennai edition in 2024 and the Kochi edition in 2025, is set to host discussions on maritime strategy and security, port development, mariner upskilling, shipbuilding and recycling, and supply chain management with some of the best and brightest in the nation.

The legacy of THE WEEK Maritime Conclave

The genesis of THE WEEK Maritime Conclave back in 2024 in Chennai marked a fundamental shift in media engagement with national strategic assets.

What began as an inaugural forum on technological innovation evolved a year later through Kochi’s focus on industrial manufacturing, creating a legacy of multi-stakeholder governance across security, finance, logistics, and seafarer welfare.

The summit also spurred the system of translating stage consensus into actionable insights for maritime policymakers, as the platform demonstrated that journalism can serve as an engine for structural reform.

With the 2026 Ahmedabad edition, THE WEEK Maritime Conclave charts its forward course not merely as a chronicler of growth, but as an active partner steering India’s long-term trajectory toward Maritime Vision 2047.

THE WEEK Maritime Conclave 2026 is co-hosted by Deendayal Port Authority (DPA), Kandla and supported by the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), along with associate partners V.O.C. Port Authority, Mumbai Port Authority, and The Shipping Corporation of India (SCI). Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, Kamarajar Port Ltd, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, and Visakhapatnam Port Authority are the supporting partners.

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