Ports Minister begins a South Korea visit to push India's shipbuilding partnership

26 October 2026

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal began a four-day visit to South Korea on 25 October 2026. He opened the trip in Busan, which he called the hub of Korea's maritime industry, with an interaction with Indian professionals working in Korean shipbuilding. India's Ambassador to South Korea, Shri Gourangalal Das, introduced the community, which includes people from Samsung Heavy Industries, Hanwha Ocean, HD Hyundai, DNV and the Indian Register of Shipping. The Minister referred to VOYAGES, the framework adopted by the two countries in April during South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's state visit to India, which covers cooperation in shipbuilding, shipping and maritime logistics. He said India aims to become one of the world's top five shipbuilding nations by 2047, under Maritime India Vision 2030 and the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. He will take part in a ministerial roundtable in Busan for World Maritime Day, where the secretary-general of the International Maritime Organisation is expected.