Many make the maritime parallels between India today and China circa the start of the century in terms of raw material demand growth and port development. Certainly on the latter, India is determined to play a fast game of catch up with its giant neighbour, not just at home but overseas.
India’s shipping minister Nitin Gadkari has outlined plans for India to help develop ports in Africa, Bangladesh and Iran as well as doubling port capacity at home.
India is helping Iran develop Chabahar port, while prime minister Narendra Modi has recently hosted a summit with African leaders in which he expressed his keenness to help build ports there. India is also helping build a deepwater port at Payra in southwestern Bangladesh.
Gadkari said India will double its own port capacity to 3bn tonnes by 2025 with plenty of money likely to be rasied at this week’s Maritime India Summit taking place in Mumbai.
