India Launches Port Performance Index and Maritime Digital Reforms

Union Minister Sonowal unveiled the LPPI and four digital platforms at JNPA’s 37th Foundation Day, including a landmark ship recycling credit scheme

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal formally launched the Logistics Port Performance Index (LPPI) for FY2024-25 and unveiled four new digital initiatives to modernise India’s maritime governance framework. The announcements were made during the 37th Foundation Day celebrations of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) in Mumbai.

The LPPI, developed under the Sagar Aankalan framework, is a national benchmarking mechanism that evaluates port operational efficiency across three cargo segments — dry bulk, liquid bulk and containers — using indicators such as vessel turnaround time, berth idle time, pre-berthing waiting time, container dwell time and ship berth day output. The methodology assigns equal weightage to absolute performance and year-on-year improvement, incentivising continuous productivity gains.

Sonowal said the LPPI would strengthen India’s position as a leading maritime nation by encouraging transparency, healthy competition among ports and sustained improvements in service standards. In the FY2024-25 rankings, V.O. Chidambaranar (VOC) Port secured the third rank nationally, reflecting strong performance across cargo categories.

Alongside the index, the minister launched four digital platforms developed by the Directorate General of Shipping: a 24×7 grievance redressal module under the e-Navik platform for seafarers, a ship registration module on the e-Samudra platform, a medical practitioner module, and a unified ship recycling credit note module.

The centrepiece of the digital announcements was the Unified Ship Recycling Portal under the government’s Rs 70,000-crore maritime development package. Under the Ship Recycling Credit Scheme, ship owners who recycle vessels at Hong Kong Convention-compliant yards in India will become eligible for credit notes equivalent to 40 per cent of the vessel’s scrap value. These credits can be redeemed against new shipbuilding projects in India.

The scheme is a significant policy lever for the Indian ship recycling and shipbuilding industries. India is already among the world’s largest ship recycling nations, and the credit scheme is intended to channel that scrap value back into domestic shipbuilding — aligning with Maritime India Vision 2030 and Amrit Kaal 2047 goals of building a self-reliant maritime economy.