Overview

• The Inland Waterways Authority of India held a regional roadshow in Guwahati on September 2 to build momentum for India Maritime Week scheduled for October 27–31 in Mumbai.
• Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed the Prime Minister’s keynote at the Global Maritime CEO Forum and pitched India’s maritime sector as a destination for large-scale international investment.
• Two luxury cruise vessels worth ₹250 crore are under construction at Hooghly Cochin Shipyard for deployment on the Brahmaputra, with launches targeted in 2027 under the Cruise Bharat Mission.
• Infrastructure milestones for Assam include a ₹239 crore ship repair facility at Pandu due in 2026 and a ₹180 crore approach road linking NH-27 to Pandu Port expected by September 2025.
• Officials cited rapid inland-waterways growth since 2014, expanding operational waterways from five to 30 and raising cargo movement from 18 million tonnes to 145 million tonnes last year.