India to Partner with Global Leaders for Maritime Vision 2047: Sonowal

India is steering its maritime future with a bold vision. At the Nor-Shipping 2025 conference held in Norway, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal affirmed that India will reach its Maritime India Vision 2047 with the help of domain knowledge and global partnerships.

In a key achievement, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) finalized an agreement with Kongsberg to build India’s first-ever Polar Research Vessel (PRV).  “This will meet the requirement of India’s National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCOPR) that will use it for research activities in the polar and Southern Ocean realms,” an official statement confirmed. The PRV will be constructed at GRSE’s Kolkata shipyard, marking a transformative step for India's shipbuilding industry.

• India to build its first Polar Research Vessel with Norway’s Kongsberg.
• Maritime Vision 2047 targets 10,000 MTPA port capacity, 500 MTPA inland cargo.
• Sonowal pushes global ties and invites Norway to invest in Indian shipyards.

The Minister emphasized the importance of international collaboration: “Discussions have been held with countries that have expertise in maritime infrastructure development. Partnerships will be forged in line with 2047 goals,” Sonowal told from Oslo. He added, “Global best practices will be incorporated in domestic maritime operations.”

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India plans to scale up port cargo handling capacity to 10,000 MTPA and increase inland waterway cargo volume by 400% to 500 MTPA by 2047. Currently holding less than 1% of the global shipbuilding share, India is now strategically poised for growth.

Highlighting the strong maritime ties, Sonowal invited Norwegian shipowners to invest in Indian shipyards, noting they already hold 11% of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association’s order book. “We invite greater collaboration with Norway to build a green, smart, and resilient maritime ecosystem,” he said.