Sagarmala at 11: India’s Port-Led Growth Engine Hits Record 915 MT Cargo, Eyes 1 Crore Jobs

India’s flagship maritime development programme, Sagarmala, is celebrating more than a decade of measurable transformation. As of March 24, 2026, out of 845 total projects estimated at Rs 6.06 lakh crore, 315 projects worth Rs 1.57 lakh crore have been completed. A further 210 projects are under active implementation, while 320 remain in the planning pipeline.

India’s major ports handled a record 915.17 million tonnes (MT) of cargo in FY 2025–26, marking a year-on-year growth of 7.06%. Average vessel turnaround time has been slashed from 96 hours in 2014 to just 49.5 hours in 2025 — a near 50% efficiency improvement that dramatically reduces dwell costs for shipping lines and cargo owners alike.
Nine Indian ports now rank among the world’s top 100. Visakhapatnam Port specifically ranks among the top 20 ports globally for container traffic. Cargo movement through inland waterways surged from 18.10 MTPA in FY 2013–14 to 145.50 MTPA in FY 2024–25, representing approximately 700% growth.

The Sagarmala 2.0 upgrade, aligned with the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 (MAKV), targets Rs 3.6 lakh crore in new investments. Port modernisation has seen 120 projects completed, adding over 400 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of new handling capacity. Road and rail connectivity saw 106 projects completed. Eleven fishing harbour projects costing Rs 1,057 crore have also been completed, directly benefiting more than 30,000 fishermen. The programme’s estimated employment potential stands at around 1 crore jobs — comprising 40 lakh direct and 60 lakh indirect positions.