Ports & Airports (Industry & Infrastructure).
Syllabus: UPSC Pre GS1: Economic & Social Development; Mains GS3
Indian Ports Act 2025 for UPSC: why colonial maritime laws were replaced, Maritime State Development Council, Carriage of Goods by Sea Act,…
The 21st Maritime State Development Council met in Mumbai on 13 October 2026. It was the first MSDC after the Indian Ports Act, 2025 (notified 15 May 2026) made the Council a statutory body. Members adopted Vision 2030 and 2047 targets and set March 2027 deadlines for One Nation One Port Process and Maritime Single Window integration.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Ports Act 2025 date, MSDC, ONOP, Sagar Setu, SbPCP/BCSPS. · Mains GS-III: ports and shipbuilding; GS-II: cooperative federalism.
13 Oct 2026
The third Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue opened on 7 October 2026, organised by the Shipping Ministry with ORF. The PM's message called for a free, open, secure and rules-based maritime order. The minister presented Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, and an India-EU Green Shipping Corridor coalition was launched.
UPSC angle: Prelims: corridors, organisers. · Mains GS-II: Indo-Pacific; GS-III: ports and shipping.
7 Oct 2026
On 2 October 2026 the Mumbai Port Authority declared its Jawahar Dweep Marine Oil Terminal plastic-free, making it India's first plastic-free oil terminal. The Union Ports Minister marked it at the port's Swachhata Abhiyan on Gandhi Jayanti, honoured sanitation workers and dedicated the port's Oil Spill Response facilities to the nation.
UPSC angle: Mains: Green port initiatives.
2 Oct 2026
The Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool (BMIP) is India's first domestic marine insurance pool, with capacity of ₹13,906.50 crore (USD 1.5 billion). Approved on 18 April 2026 and launched on 12 May 2026, it covers Hull and Machinery, Cargo, P&I and War risks, backed by a sovereign guarantee of ₹12,980 crore.
UPSC angle: Mains: Sanctions-era shipping and the case for domestic marine insurance.
27 Sep 2026
On 26 September 2026 the foundation stone was laid for India's first port-based e-methanol plant at Deendayal Port Authority, Kandla, Gujarat. The 150-tonne-per-day, ₹2,300 crore plant, a venture of DPA and Assam Petro-Chemicals, will make green methanol from renewable power, water and biogenic CO2 to fuel ships.
UPSC angle: Prelims: what e-methanol is made from; Kandla = Deendayal Port. · Mains: Decarbonising shipping: role of ports as green-fuel hubs.
26 Sep 2026
On 11 September 2026 Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and Drydocks World, a DP World company, signed a 50:50 joint venture agreement to operate and expand the International Ship Repair Facility (ISRF) at Cochin. It was signed on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi and is described as a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership in India's ship repair sector.
UPSC angle: Prelims: location of ISRF; Cochin Shipyard.
11 Sep 2026