Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal has called on the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) to take a leading role in India's drive toward self-reliant, globally competitive shipbuilding and maritime capacity. Speaking at a ceremony marking SCI's 65th anniversary at the International Cruise Terminal in Mumbai on 2 October 2026, Sonowal tied the company's expansion directly to the government's Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, which targets India's emergence as a top shipbuilding and ship-owning nation.

Founded in 1961, SCI has grown into a diversified maritime enterprise operating 58 vessels totalling 5.26 million deadweight tonnage (DWT). Its operations now span crude and product tankers, bulk and container shipping, LPG and LNG carriers, offshore services, passenger and coastal transport, project cargo, ship management, and shipbuilding consultancy.

Sonowal highlighted SCI's role in safeguarding India's energy and trade security, pointing specifically to the company's performance during the recent Strait of Hormuz crisis. He framed a stronger national fleet as central to the government's broader Viksit Bharat and Atmanirbhar Bharat goals. "SCI is one of the clearest examples of India building its own strength at sea," he said. "As India works to become a top shipbuilding nation under Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, SCI's fleet, its people and its partnerships will be central to that mission."

"India is no longer content to simply own ships — we are determined to build them, right here at home," Sonowal added. "As SCI expands its fleet and deepens its partnerships, it strengthens not just one company, but India's entire shipbuilding ambition."

SCI is undertaking a fleet augmentation programme backed by expanded government policy and financing support for the maritime sector. Proposed joint ventures involving Indian Oil's public sector undertakings and the Bharat Container Shipping Line are laying the groundwork for accelerated expansion toward MAKV 2047 targets.

Capt. B.K. Tyagi, SCI's chairman and managing director, outlined plans to build a larger, modern and globally competitive fleet in support of the national push to expand India's shipping capacity. Maharashtra's Minister for Fisheries and Ports, Nitesh Narayan Rane, who attended as guest of honour, credited SCI's enduring ties to Maharashtra and Mumbai, and said a strong shipping ecosystem remained essential to trade, employment and the broader growth of India's maritime economy.

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