All ports in India are required to adopt standardized digital procedures and publish electronic tariffs by March 2027 (Representative image)
Chaired by Union ports, shipping and waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal, the meeting was the first since the MSDC became a statutory consultative body under the Indian Ports Act, 2025, notified on May 15, 2026.
Constituted in 1997, the council now has an enhanced mandate to coordinate maritime policy and infrastructure development between the Centre and states. Under the One Nation One Port Process (ONOP) initiative, reforms covering standardised documentation, port-process re-engineering and inter-ministerial coordination must be implemented across ports by March 2027. The Centre launched a Ready Reckoner to guide implementation, incorporating references to circulars issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, the ministry of home affairs and the ministry of health and family welfare.
The government will subsidise premiums and provide direct support to insurers if shipyards file claims, according to the release. “Building a ship is a massive, multi-year journey; a single missed milestone payment could stall an entire shipyard’s operations,” Sonowal said, describing the policies as a financial safety net for the industry. The Shipbuilding Project Credit Risk Insurance Policy (SbPCP), developed by ECGC Ltd, will cover export projects, while the Business Credit Shield Policy-Shipbuilders (BCSPS), developed by The New India Assurance Company Ltd, will cover domestic projects. States and maritime boards must prepare master plans for non-major ports aligned with these national targets. Maharashtra fisheries and ports development minister Nitesh Rane attended the meeting.