On October 30, 2025, Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh L. Mandaviya, delivered the keynote address at the GMIS – Maritime Human Capital Session at India Maritime Week (IMW) 2025 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. The session was themed “Navigating the Future: Building a Modern Maritime Workforce” and organized as part of the Global Maritime Innovation Summit (GMIS) track.
Dr. Mandaviya emphasized India's maritime strength lies in its people and highlighted the government's vision to make India a global hub for maritime employment. He called on industry leaders and training institutions to collaborate closely to equip India's workforce with future-ready skills.
Director General of Shipping, Shri Shyam Jagannathan, outlined India's initiatives in maritime skilling, digital transformation, and gender inclusivity. He announced that India's share of global seafarers, currently at 12 percent, is projected to rise to 20 percent by 2030 through enhanced training capacity and international placements. He also unveiled the upcoming digital certification system for Indian seafarers, to be implemented by February 2026, along with two key initiatives Sagar Mein Samman for promoting gender inclusion and Sagar Mein Yog for holistic wellness and training among seafarers.
The session also celebrated India's first women maritime achievers, including captains, chief engineers, pilots, and naval architects, and was followed by two high-level panel discussions. It concluded with a felicitation ceremony and a vote of thanks.
The event highlighted that India aims to emerge as a global provider of skilled maritime professionals by 2047.
Rini Choudhury/Anjelina Alexander are the contacts for this release. The Release ID is 2184276.
Key Entities Referenced
India Maritime Week 2025: A maritime event focused on human capital and India's maritime sector goals.
Ministry of Labour & Employment: The ministry involved in promoting maritime employment and skills development.
Dr. Mansukh L. Mandaviya: Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, who delivered the keynote address.
Global Maritime Innovation Summit (GMIS): A maritime summit of which the human capital session was a part.
Ministry of Labour & Employment
Dr. Mansukh L. Mandaviya, delivers keynote
address at the GMIS – Maritime Human Capital
Session at India Maritime Week 2025
Our demographic dividend will drive India to emerge as a
global maritime leader: Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya
Union Labour Minister highlights government’s vision to
make India a global hub for maritime employment
Posted On: 30 OCT 2025 6:21PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh L. Mandaviya,
delivered the keynote address at the GMIS – Maritime Human Capital Session at India Maritime
Week (IMW) 2025 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, today. The session, under the theme
“Navigating the Future: Building a Modern Maritime Workforce”, was organised as part of the Global
Maritime Innovation Summit (GMIS) track. The focus of the session lay on India’s strategy to
develop a modern, skilled, and globally competitive maritime workforce aligned with the nation’s
rapid growth in shipping, ports, and logistics.Dr Mansukh Mandaviya
@mansukhmandviya·Follow
आज मुंबई म India Maritime Week 2025 को संबोधत कया।
प्रधानमंी ी @narendramodi जी के नेतृत्व म भारत वैक
Maritime Hub बनन े क ओर अग्रसर ह।
4:36 PM · Oct 30, 2025
164 Reply Copy link
Read 4 repliesIn his keynote address, Dr. Mandaviya emphasized that India’s maritime strength lies not only in its
ports and ships but in its people — the skilled professionals who will drive the sector’s future. He
stated that the maritime industry must not only build ships but also “build futures for millions of
young Indians seeking global careers.” “The coming era belongs to India. We have our greatest
strength: a young population, with 35% youth. Our demographic dividend will drive India to emerge
as a global maritime leader,” he said.
The Minister highlighted the government’s vision to make India a global hub for maritime
employment by integrating skilling programs with new-age technologies like artificial intelligence,
digitalisation, automation, and green fuels. He called upon industry leaders and training institutions to
collaborate closely to equip India’s workforce with future-ready skills. “As we march towards our
vision for Viksit Bharat at 2047, we are taking inspiration from our profound maritime legacy and
shaping a future where India reclaims its global maritime stature,” he underlined.
Director General of Shipping, Shri Shyam Jagannathan, outlined India’s initiatives in maritime
skilling, digital transformation, and gender inclusivity. He announced that India’s share of global
seafarers, currently at 12 percent, is projected to rise to 20 percent by 2030 through enhanced training
capacity and international placements. He also unveiled the upcoming digital certification system for
Indian seafarers, to be implemented by February 2026, along with two key initiatives — Sagar Mein
Samman for promoting gender inclusion and Sagar Mein Yog for holistic wellness and training
among seafarers.The session also celebrated India’s first women maritime achievers, including captains, chief
engineers, pilots, and naval architects, for their pioneering contributions toward inclusive maritime
growth. This recognition marked a key step toward gender equity and empowerment within the
maritime ecosystem.
Two high-level panel discussions followed, featuring national and international experts from leading
maritime organisations such as the German Maritime Center, Indian Register of Shipping, The
Institute of Marine Engineers India, Synergy Marine Group, and MASSA. The discussions focused on
the future of maritime employment, digital skilling, sustainability leadership, and global talent
mobility. Experts highlighted how the maritime workforce of the future will need to master advanced
technologies, manage autonomous systems, and adapt to green transitions across global shipping.The event concluded with a felicitation ceremony and a vote of thanks, reaffirming that India’s
maritime transformation must go hand in hand with human capital development. The session
underlined that by 2047, India aims to emerge not just as a maritime powerhouse but as a global
provider of skilled maritime professionals, shaping the future of sustainable and inclusive growth in
the global ocean economy.
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