Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday (October 8, 2026) held bilateral meetings with representatives from Saudi Arabia, Belgium and Bhutan during the second day of Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue 2026 in New Delhi.
Sonowal discussed the potential of National Waterway-2 and the Jogighopa terminal as gateways for Bhutanese cargo to global markets. Port capacity has risen from 1,561 million tonnes per annum to 2,817 MTPA over the past 12 years, while inland waterways cargo has increased from 29 million tonnes to 218 million tonnes. Median container vessel turnaround time has fallen from 35 hours to 23 hours.
The two sides also discussed cooperation in shipbuilding, seafarer training and strengthening maritime supply chains. With Flemish Minister for Mobility, Public Works, Ports and Sport Annick De Ridder, Mr. Sonowal proposed exploring a green shipping corridor linking Indian ports with Antwerp-Bruges. With Bhutan’s Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Chandra Bahadur Gurung, Mr. The two sides also explored using the Manas and Sankosh rivers and maritime training for Bhutanese youth at the upcoming Centre of Excellence in Dibrugarh. Mr. Separately, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur held meetings with representatives from Greece, Lithuania, Mozambique and Myanmar. Addressing a press conference, Mr.
He said Saudi Arabia expressed interest in investing in Indian port projects, including Vadhavan and Galathea Bay, as well as the Maritime Development Fund. Sonowal said India’s maritime partnerships were expanding across the Gulf, Europe and its neighbourhood, stressing the need to convert dialogue into investment, technology and research partnerships. Sonowal said India had moved from “maritime potential to maritime performance” under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
