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India has launched E-Samudra, a unified digital platform intended to bring a wide range of maritime regulatory and service functions onto a single online system for seafarers, shipowners, shipping companies, ports and other industry stakeholders. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the platform in Mumbai during a national stakeholder interaction focused on seafarer security, safety and welfare.
E-Samudra is designed around a single-window model, with end-to-end digital workflows, online payments, real-time status tracking and digitally issued certificates. The objective is to make regulatory processes more predictable and reduce the need for stakeholders to interact with multiple administrative systems. According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the platform will consolidate maritime services and provide a common digital interface for stakeholders. The move is expected to reduce administrative friction while improving visibility over applications and certificates.
The development comes as India's maritime workforce and shipping activity have expanded significantly. The country's active seafarer workforce increased from about 103,000 in 2013 to more than 323,000 in 2025, increasing the scale of services that maritime authorities need to administer. The Directorate General of Maritime Administration has described the platform as a shift towards "Digital First and Faceless Governance", with greater reliance on online processing rather than physical submissions and office visits.
The E-Samudra launch was accompanied by several measures aimed at improving services and welfare for Indian seafarers. These include the e-NAVIK 24×7 grievance-redressal system, a planned Seafarer Tracking Dashboard and a Digital Seafarers Employment Agreement. Authorities also highlighted initiatives under the Seafarers Welfare Fund Society, along with programmes focused on the physical and mental wellbeing of seafarers and improving support for women working at sea.
The government's focus on digital service delivery also reflects the operational challenges faced by Indian seafarers during periods of disruption to international shipping. Maritime authorities said they had monitored more than 16,000 vessel calls, processed over 40,000 communications and helped coordinate the repatriation of more than 4,000 Indian seafarers affected by recent geopolitical disruptions.
E-Samudra is not an isolated technology initiative. It follows other digital reforms introduced by the maritime administration, including a ship-registration module on the platform and additional digital systems covering grievances, medical practitioners and ship recycling.The government's broader maritime strategy is being implemented under the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 frameworks. The Merchant Shipping Act 2025, which recognises seafarers as key workers, is also part of the policy framework underpinning the latest reforms.
For the shipping industry, the significance of E-Samudra will ultimately depend on how comprehensively services are integrated and how reliably the platform handles applications, payments, certificates and regulatory interactions. Greater standardisation and visibility could reduce administrative delays, but the effectiveness of the system will be measured by its adoption and day-to-day performance across India's maritime ecosystem.
The launch nevertheless marks another step in the government's effort to move maritime administration towards a more integrated digital model, with seafarer services and industry-facing regulatory processes increasingly managed through online platforms.
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China’s Ningbo-Zhoushan Port has overtaken Singapore to become the world’s second-busiest container port during the first half of 2026, according to the latest container throughput rankings compiled by shipping analyst Alphaliner. The shift marks a notable change in the global port hierarchy, although the margin between the two gateways remains narrow. Ningbo-Zhoushan handled 22.90 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) between January and June 2026, registering an 8.8% year-on-year increase. Singapore, meanwhile, processed 22.74 million TEUs, up 4.7% from the corresponding period last year. The difference of roughly 160,000 TEUs highlights the increasingly competitive race for the second position. Shanghai retained its position as the world’s busiest container port, handling approximately 28.74 million TEUs in the first half of 2026, an increase of 6.2% year on year. The latest ranking therefore places two Chinese ports at the top, with Ningbo-Zhoushan moving ahead of Singapore for the first time over a complete six-month reporting period. Jintang Expansion Strengthens Ningbo-Zhoushan Ningbo-Zhoushan’s stronger growth has been supported by capacity expansion and improved international connectivity. The second phase of the Jintang container hub was completed in July 2026, bringing all five operational container berths within the expanded development. During the first half of the year, Jintang added 17 international shipping routes, while its container volumes increased by 23.4%. The expansion is expected to strengthen the port complex’s ability to accommodate rising cargo demand and serve an expanding network of global trade lanes. The port has experienced significant growth over the past two decades, crossing 20 million TEUs in 2015 and 30 million TEUs in 2021. In 2025, it exceeded 40 million TEUs for the first time, handling 43.87 million TEUs for the full year. Singapore remained ahead in the annual ranking, recording 44.66 million TEUs. Competition Expected to Remain Close Despite Ningbo-Zhoushan’s first-half lead, Singapore remains a formidable competitor. Alphaliner has indicated that Ningbo-Zhoushan’s growth could moderate during the second half of 2026, leaving open the possibility of Singapore reclaiming the second position. For global supply chains, the development underscores how port investments, shipping connectivity, cargo generation and changing trade patterns are reshaping the competitive landscape. With only a small volume separating the two ports, the battle for the world’s second-busiest container gateway is likely to remain closely watched through the remainder of 2026. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 CARGOCONNECT 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬!
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has approved a ₹334.89-crore internal flyover at Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) to ease cargo evacuation, reduce congestion and improve the movement of vehicles within the port. The 3.584-km elevated corridor will connect Convent Junction with the Dock Area, separating road and rail traffic and addressing delays caused by frequent closures at nine railway level crossings. The crossings reportedly see around 18 gate closures each day due to high train exchange volumes, resulting in vehicle queues, longer waiting times, increased fuel consumption and higher operating costs. The project was approved by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and appraised by the Delegated Investment Board, chaired by the Ministry’s Secretary. Sonowal said the project would address a critical bottleneck at the port and enable faster, more efficient cargo movement. The scope includes civil and electrical works, utility shifting, safety installations and five years of maintenance. Construction will be planned to minimise disruption to ongoing port operations, particularly in key dock areas. The elevated corridor is expected to reduce road-rail conflicts and improve last-mile connectivity, supporting smoother cargo evacuation from the port. The project is aligned with the government’s broader focus on integrated infrastructure development under the PM GatiShakti framework. The flyover is scheduled for completion within 30 months of commencement and is expected to strengthen the operational efficiency of Visakhapatnam Port and its role in India’s maritime logistics network. Follow CARGOCONNECT for more such updates
The Indian government is developing a comprehensive customs playbook covering 100 high-value imported commodities to streamline the country's faceless customs regime, reduce assessment disputes, and enable businesses to access tariff concessions under India's expanding network of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) more efficiently. The initiative forms part of the next phase of customs reforms aimed at improving trade facilitation and enhancing the ease of doing business. According to officials familiar with the development, the proposed framework will introduce detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for each identified product category. These SOPs will provide commodity-specific and origin-specific assessment guidelines, ensuring uniform interpretation of customs rules across ports and customs formations operating under the faceless assessment system. A key objective of the initiative is to simplify the process of claiming preferential tariff benefits available under India's recently concluded FTAs. The playbook is expected to minimise inconsistencies in customs assessments, reduce clearance delays, and lower the number of queries raised during the processing of Bills of Entry. As part of the proposed reforms, customs offi cers handling faceless assessments will be encouraged to limit queries on each Bill of Entry to a maximum of three. The framework will also introduce greater accountability by tracking assessment timelines and holding officers responsible for unnecessary delays. These measures are intended to improve consistency in decision-making while making import clearances more predictable for businesses. The government introduced the faceless customs assessment mechanism to eliminate physical interaction between importers and customs officials, improve transparency, and create a technology-driven clearance process. While the system has strengthened digital processing, businesses have continued to report varying interpretations of customs provisions across assessment groups, particularly in relation to Rules of Origin and eligibility for FTA benefits. According to experts, a standardised assessment framework will help address these challenges by providing clear guidance for customs officers and importers alike. The move is also expected to strengthen confidence among businesses seeking to leverage preferential market access under India's growing portfolio of trade agreements, while supporting faster cargo movement, reducing transaction costs, and improving overall supply chain efficiency. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 CARGOCONNECT 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬!
