In a major push for a digitised blue economy, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on August 7 inaugurated the “IT Conclave 2025 – Leveraging Technology in Maritime” where the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) unveiled a suite of digital initiatives led by the cloud-native e-Samudra platform and a comprehensive digital transformation vision document. The conclave, jointly organised with the Company of Master Mariners of India (CMMI), is intended to accelerate maritime digital transformation and modernise maritime governance across India’s shipping ecosystem.
At the event, the revamped DG Shipping website — now compliant with GIGW 3.0 and optimised for multilingual, mobile-responsive access — was launched to make maritime services more accessible to seafarers, shipowners, training institutes and other stakeholders. The website redesign is a visible first step in DG Shipping’s commitment to improve user experience and regulatory transparency through maritime technology.
The headline launch was the Phase-1 rollout of e-Samudra, described by officials as a cloud-native platform that will progressively unify more than 60 maritime services under one digital roof. The initial modules released include chartering permissions and licences to streamline vessel approvals; the Ship Building Financial Assistance (SBFA) module to facilitate access to support for shipbuilding; a Multi-Modal Transport Operator (MTO) module to enable digital registration and regulatory compliance; and a Visitor Access Management System to secure and automate access to DG Shipping offices. These modules are crafted to reduce paperwork, speed approvals and raise ease of doing business in India’s maritime sector.
Complementing e-Samudra, DG Shipping also released a detailed digital transformation vision document outlining strategic priorities for maritime governance. The roadmap includes deployment of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and web-based simulation tools aligned with STCW standards for seafarer training, digital archival solutions for maritime records, ERP systems for the Seafarers’ Provident Fund Organization (SPFO) and Seafarers’ Welfare Fund Society (SWFS), and plans for an Integrated Command & Control Centre for real-time monitoring and situational awareness. The document further maps cybersecurity and data protection measures in line with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act.
Technology pilots rolled out at the conclave underline the practical thrust behind the vision: a pilot AI-based digital examination system has been launched at the Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) Noida, signalling DG Shipping’s intent to leverage AI for assessment, certification and competency assurance of maritime personnel. Officials stressed that such pilots will be scaled cautiously and integrated with internationally recognised standards.
Ministers framing the rollout repeatedly tied the programmes to national priorities. Union Minister Sonowal described the initiatives as a “paradigm shift in maritime governance,” saying they align with Digital India, Maritime India Vision 2030 and Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 objectives to position India as a globally competitive, technology-enabled maritime hub. Union Minister of State Shantanu Thakur noted that e-Samudra and related platforms will boost ease of doing business while enhancing service delivery for maritime stakeholders.
Looking forward, the DG Shipping roadmap signals ambitions to adopt emerging technologies such as IoT, blockchain, geospatial tools and advanced analytics to enable autonomous operations, predictive maintenance and next-generation maritime services by 2030 and beyond. Officials said the integration of these technologies would be paced to ensure regulatory compliance, data security and interoperability with international systems.
Industry stakeholders welcomed the move but cautioned on implementation challenges. Experts say the success of maritime digital transformation will depend on digitisation of legacy records, capacity building among seafarers and port staff, robust cybersecurity measures, and close coordination with state maritime administrations and private operators. If effectively executed, DG Shipping’s combined push — from e-Samudra’s service consolidation to AI pilots and command-and-control architecture — could materially improve regulatory transparency, operational efficiency and India’s competitiveness in global shipping.
For maritime businesses and seafarers, the near-term benefits should include faster approvals for chartering, easier access to shipbuilding incentives, streamlined MTO registration and simplified administrative interactions with DG Shipping. Over the medium term, the rollouts aim to create a resilient digital backbone for India’s blue economy — a system capable of supporting trade growth while prioritising cybersecurity and personnel training aligned with international norms.
Source: (Press Information Bureau)
