India, Singapore Finalise Maritime Corridor

 

India and Singapore on Tuesday agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) next month to develop a Green and Digital Shipping Corridor between the two nations. The announcement was made at the Green & Digital Maritime Corridors Summit in Navi Mumbai, hosted as a precursor to India Maritime Week (IMW) scheduled for October in Mumbai.

 

 

 

 

The summit marked a significant milestone in India’s efforts to transition to low-emission, digitally connected maritime trade routes. It brought together over 300 participants from 25 countries and saw key interventions from top Indian and Singaporean officials.

 

 

 

India’s Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, said the initiative aligns with India’s Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. “These corridors are engines of economic growth, innovation, and sustainability,” he noted.

 

 

 The event is part of India’s preparation for India Maritime Week 2025, where global stakeholders will convene in Mumbai to advance green shipping, port digitalisation, and maritime investment partnerships.

 

 

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis used the summit to reaffirm the state’s commitment to maritime growth. “Vadhavan Port will be among the world’s top ten ports once operational. This is a giant leap in India’s port infrastructure,” he said.

 

 

 

Singapore’s Acting Minister for Transport, Jeffrey Siow, announced that the India–Singapore corridor MoU will be formalised in September 2025, adding that it will improve trade efficiency and reduce emissions. A letter of intent between the two countries was signed in March this year.

 

The corridor is expected to support clean-fuel ships, real-time data sharing, and faster cargo processing between ports.