NISAA Forum 2026: Resilience, Multimodal Growth & Maritime Vision

Vijay Kurup writes:

The NISAA business forum was held in New Delhi recently. As always, it provided an ideal opportunity for experts to connect, share insights, explore opportunities and stay updated on industry trends and best practices. Sasi Nair, President of the Northern India Steamer Agents Association, sought to dispel the gloom caused by ongoing geopolitical turmoil. He said that in the face of adversity, there are opportunities, and something good can always come of it.

Sanjay Swarup, IRTS, Chairman & Managing Director, Container Corporation of India Ltd, in his keynote address, dwelt on various aspects of the company’s progress. The Bharat Container Shipping Line (BCSL), launched early this year, was India’s national container carrier primarily aimed at reducing reliance on foreign carriers. It was initiated through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and public-private partnerships involving the Shipping Corporation of India and CONCOR. On the other aspects of CONCOR’s success stories, Swarup said they had done away with the practice of carrying cement in bags. They had adopted a more efficient mode of transportation by moving cement in bulk. They allow the consignee to retain the containers for use as a warehouse on a nominal charge.

The first session of the day was titled Strengthening North India Intermodal Corridors & Ports. The participants were Adhendru Jain, CEO Rail and Inland Terminal Vertical, DP World; Vijoy Kumar Singh, Director (International Marketing & Operations), CONCOR; Amit Bharadwaj, Chief Commercial Officer, APM Terminals; Dr Rinku Gupta, Head – India Transport Logistics. CNH Industrial, and Tarun Kalra, Senior Vice President · MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company. Manish Puri, Managing Director and CEO, RailRunner Innovations Pvt. Ltd moderated the session.

In his opening remarks, Puri emphasised the need to explore new solutions and products that leverage emerging technologies to improve the customer experience, potentially driving higher growth volumes. Puri posed the question to Singh to understand CONCOR’s initiatives beyond the conventional pricing measures it has taken to expand the market, particularly to increase multimodal traffic. Singh stated that the exim trade was constantly looking to them for details on the connectivity, locations, and ecosystem. They were constantly seeking to enhance their presence alongside Indian Railways (IR) and trade partners in all locations where required. The other focus area was ease of business through customer centricity. There was also a need to grow digitally. They have already started working towards procuring an ultramodern AI-driven relationship management solution.

Capacity was on the rise. Were the added capacities a threat to the existing players, and could they handle the growth in traffic and the challenges that come along with it? Bharadwaj believed that whereas traffic growth was linear, the corresponding growth in capacity was not. Capacity growth was needed and shared by all stakeholders. There was enough space for all to participate in this growth pattern. He felt that the capacity would not be significantly underutilised. It was an opportunity for all to take the supply chain to the next level.

Rolling stock, too, was on the rise. Was there financially viable cargo available on these trains? What innovations were available to help increase multimodal volumes and better utilise rolling

stock capacity? Jain, who handles the Rail and Inland Terminal Vertical, opined that existing capacity can be leveraged to further accelerate volumes without investing in rolling stock. The cargo could be made financially viable by effectively using the assets and avoiding significant waste.

Kalra tackled the question of whether the introduction of Bharat Container Shipping Line was a threat to the shipping lines. He was of the opinion that the induction of BCSL was not a threat because the few global lines were not fully capable of achieving the utmost efficiency across all possible destinations. More shipping lines entering the fray would benefit end users.

Dr Gupta, as a user of multimodal logistics services, offered her experience. With digitisation, visibility of the cargo has considerably increased. There was a definite improvement in transit times. However, she was nonplussed as to how a shipping line could arbitrarily increase surcharges due to the recent war. What was the calculus for arriving at a particular figure?

She also felt that the logistics had not improved, even though transit times had decreased. She stated that, for her, road transportation was cheaper than rail transportation.

The second session dwelt on FTAs, India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) & BRICS – Protecting Global Trade disruptions. Gyan Abhishek, Head Intermodal Operations (South Asia), Maersk Line India Pvt. Ltd moderated the session.

Poroma Munshi Rebello, President – Business Development, Pristine Logistics and Infraprojects Pvt. Ltd, as a member of the BRICS Business Council for India, elaborated on BRICS’s role following India’s assumption of the 2026 chairship. India is the chair for bricks in 2026. Modi has described BRICS as “Building Resilience and Innovation for Cooperation and Stability for the India chapter this year, 2026. It seeks better global multilateralism, better global communication, trade, infrastructure and technology.

The Bricks Business Council strengthens and promotes economic, business, and investment ties among Bricks countries. It ensures regular dialogue between governments (G2G) and business communities (B2B). Identifies and addresses trade and investment-related bottlenecks.

IN Brics, rail connectivity was a major part of the discussion, as was the maritime sector. Trade routes were evaluated for infrastructure development by the Bricks country. We intend to establish a coordinated logistics alliance and leverage data sharing among BRICS countries, which is not currently in place. Another idea is to enable data exchange on ports and inland terminals and to have a uniform, common manifest across the BRICS nations.

India is expanding its free trade agreements with several countries. India has already signed free trade agreements with more than 50 countries. T S Ahluwalia, President, Northern India Shippers Association. Singh said that in the next 2 to 3 years, the service exports are likely to surpass the merchant exports. The fastest rising sector is e-commerce in the domestic market.

The India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) has the potential not only to simplify trade procedures but also to accelerate the process exponentially. Neelkant Gummalla, Strategy Head, IMEEC Cell, RITES Ltd., eloquently elaborated on this new upcoming project. The idea arose from the series of events that embroiled the Suez, prompting a search for an alternative route to Europe through the region. It was envisaged that the route from India to the UAE would be by the normal sea route. Thereafter, from the UAE, right through the Middle East by rail to the Mediterranean coast, then onto the European coast by sea. There would be seamless movement of goods across nations, much like cargo movement within the European Union. IMEC is evolving, but still in the political-and-planning phase.

The day ended with Harshit Mittal, AVP, Invest Maritime, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, making a presentation on the Maritime Amrit Kal Vision 2047, an initiative by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways aimed to transform India’s maritime sector. Mittal’s presentation emphasised a comprehensive strategic initiative by the Indian government to revolutionise its maritime and shipping sectors. Driven by the goal of transforming India into a global powerhouse, the plan targeted a massive expansion in port capacity, a dramatic increase in shipbuilding output, and a rise in the national share of global sea trade.

Key strategies included the creation of maritime development funds, the establishment of specialised shipbuilding clusters, and the implementation of financial incentive schemes to offset high costs. The vision also emphasised decarbonization through green shipping, the modernisation of port infrastructure through public-private partnerships, and the promotion of indigenous container manufacturing. By aggregating demand from state entities and reforming vessel flagging laws, India aimed to reduce its reliance on foreign shipping lines and secure its economic and energy interests.