Kerala Maritime Board Amendment Bill: Here are 10 key changes proposed under Mission Samudra

The Kerala government introduced the Kerala Maritime Board (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the state Assembly, proposing a series of changes to the 2017 Act to strengthen the board’s powers and facilitate the implementation of Mission Samudra, the government’s flagship maritime development initiative.

Presenting the Bill, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said Kerala needed to leverage its nearly 600-km coastline, two international ports, a container terminal and 18 minor ports to overcome its constraints on land availability and industrial expansion.

The proposed amendments seek to bring multiple departments under a common decision-making mechanism, earmark government-controlled land for maritime projects, introduce public-private partnerships and create port-area development authorities.

Here are the key highlights of the Bill and the changes it proposes.

1. Chief minister to head the Maritime Board

The proposed amendment to Section 3 of the Kerala Maritime Board Act, 2017, will make the chief minister the chairperson of the board.

Departments responsible for ports, fisheries, industries, finance, revenue, law and coastal security will be represented on the board, bringing the principal stakeholders in maritime development into a common decision-making structure.

Satheesan said the existing arrangement required certain proposals to pass through multiple departments, as neither the board nor the Ports Department had the authority to take some decisions independently.

The proposed structure is intended to enable the board to convene the relevant departments and consider investment proposals at a single forum, reducing administrative fragmentation.

2. Statutory powers and responsibilities to be expanded

The amendment to Section 2 seeks to incorporate the board’s responsibilities into the Act itself rather than leaving them to be specified only in the rules.

A new Section 7A will set out these responsibilities in 48 clauses, providing a statutory basis for the board’s expanded role.

Satheesan said the changes were necessary to strengthen the board’s institutional capacity, including its responsibilities relating to minor ports and inland vessels.

The government has also cited the need to align the state’s legislation with the Union government's 2025 law transferring control over minor ports to maritime boards. The board was designated the authority responsible for inland vessels under the Inland Vessels Act, 2021, but the chief minister said the existing state framework lacked the necessary institutional and legal support.

3. State Maritime Land Bank proposed

A new Section 22A proposes the creation of a State Maritime Land Bank by bringing together land under government control for maritime projects.

The move is intended to address one of Kerala’s principal constraints on industrial development: the availability of suitable land for port-linked infrastructure.

The government wants to use the land bank to facilitate projects such as warehouses, container freight stations, logistics parks and other facilities that require space beyond existing port boundaries.

Satheesan said Kerala’s limited land availability, forest restrictions, controls on paddy land and Coastal Regulation Zone regulations had constrained its ability to develop industries on the scale of neighbouring states.

He said the land bank would provide a dedicated pool of government-controlled land for maritime development.

4. Port Area Development Authorities to prepare spatial plans

The Bill proposes to reinstate Section 103 to establish a Port Area Development Authority for each port.

Each authority will prepare a spatial development plan for its designated area. The plan will be formally notified under the relevant town and country planning legislation.

The government says this will replace scattered, project-by-project development with a more coordinated approach to land use around ports.

Satheesan maintained that the proposed planning framework would not violate existing laws, with development plans being formally notified under the applicable legislation.

5. Public-private partnerships and concessions of up to 45 years

An amendment to Section 22 explicitly provides for public-private partnerships in port development.

Subject to government approval and an assessment of the investment, concessions of up to 45 years may be granted.

The government hopes longer concession periods will make projects more attractive to investors while enabling it to secure better revenue through competitive tendering.

Satheesan said the state did not have the financial capacity to directly fund all the proposed projects. Instead, it could contribute land as equity, with private investors providing the remaining capital.

For a hypothetical project costing ₹1,000 crore, the government’s contribution could be in the form of land, while the balance would come from investors.

The government is considering different investment structures, including expressions of interest, government-to-government arrangements, public sector enterprises and a model similar to Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL).

Depending on the project, the state could act as a facilitator, contribute land and become an equity partner, or provide supporting infrastructure.

6. Vizhinjam to anchor a wider logistics and industrial network

The government wants to use Vizhinjam International Seaport as the starting point for a wider maritime-linked economic ecosystem.

With import and export activities having begun at the port, Satheesan said Kerala needed to develop supporting facilities such as container freight stations, transhipment-related infrastructure, logistics parks and warehouses.

The government has decided to allocate ₹3,200 crore for the ring road associated with Vizhinjam, with the intention of encouraging maritime-related investments along the corridor.

The broader objective is to ensure that port activity generates business and employment beyond the port itself, including through the processing and export of Kerala’s spices and agricultural products.

7. Coastal shipping to reduce dependence on roads

Mission Samudra envisages coastal shipping and inland water transport as alternatives to road-based freight movement.

Satheesan said the government believed Kerala could eventually shift 50 per cent of road traffic to the sea if it developed its maritime potential effectively. He also claimed that transporting goods by sea would cost about one-third as much as moving them by road.

The initial focus could include oil, gas, chemicals and hazardous materials, depending on the infrastructure available at individual ports. The network could subsequently be expanded to accommodate other cargo.

The proposed shift is intended to address road congestion while reducing freight costs. Its scale will depend on the development of suitable vessels, cargo-handling facilities, storage infrastructure and connections between ports and inland markets.

8. Cruise terminals and river tourism planned

The government proposes to establish two cruise terminals, one in Kochi and another in Kozhikode, and has indicated that land could be provided to the Cochin Port Authority for the purpose.

Proposed cruise connections include Kochi to Dubai, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Goa, as well as services linking Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram.

A subsequent phase envisages integrating the maritime network with Kerala’s 44 rivers to develop river cruises.

The government sees these projects as a way to expand tourism opportunities and connect coastal destinations with the state’s inland waterways.

The cruise and river tourism proposals form part of the wider Mission Samudra vision outlined by the chief minister; the speech does not establish that all these routes or terminals are already approved or operational.

9. Seafood exports and the blue economy

The government wants to revive Kerala’s seafood export industry, which Satheesan said had lost ground to other states, particularly Andhra Pradesh.

The proposed economic vision envisages Thiruvananthapuram developing as a port city, Kollam as a mineral corridor and Alappuzha as a blue economy hub under a Southern Economic Corridor.

To support this, the government intends to increase seafood production and facilitate fish farming through a more liberal regulatory framework.

Satheesan argued that reviving seafood exports could generate significant economic activity in Alappuzha, which was once a major centre of the state’s seafood export industry.

The broader maritime plan also includes coastal shipping, inland water transport, port-based industries, shipbuilding, ship repair and the livelihoods of coastal communities.

10. Maritime education and local employment

The government intends to introduce academic programmes in logistics, maritime law, maritime history and related fields to prepare young people for jobs emerging from port-city development.

It is examining the skills and qualifications required by maritime hubs around the world and plans to develop programmes suited to the proposed projects.

Satheesan said the government would also establish a system to help students completing these courses find employment within Kerala.

The objective is to ensure that the jobs generated by maritime investment benefit the state’s workforce rather than leaving local candidates without the skills required to fill them.