“India has 500 ships for 5000 China”: Vedanta from Sounds Sounds Sounds on charging on charging

The President of Fida Aneel Agarawal called for an urgent revival of the freight industry in India, warning that the nation is abandoning China in global maritime hegemony. “Did you know that while China has more than 5,000 large ships in its trade fleet, India has less than 500?” Agarwal posted X, highlighting an amazing gap in commercial charging capacity.

He pointed out that international trade is “completely dominated by Chinese ships,” noting that “98 % of the world’s trade fleet is managed by companies that use Chinese ships made from China.”

In contrast, India is “surrounded by the sea on three sides” and has a “glorious history as a naval state.” He urged the collective effort: “There should be no difference between the public and private sector. All are the same in this goal. To use a phrase from shipping, our strategic interests need all hands on the deck.”

While Agarwal numbers weaken China’s control of global commercial corridors, official data draws a more accurate picture. As of January 2024, China controls about 19 % of the World Trade Fleet. But the unpredictable dominance of shipbuilding – with the global market share that grew from less than 5 % in 1999 to more than 50 % in 2023. The country also manufactures 95 % of the world’s charging containers and 86 % of the multimedia structure.

Meanwhile, India ranks 16th in the Global Naval Force and has ambitions to storm the 10 best countries in shipbuilding by 2030 – and the highest 5 by 2047. Its ports deals 95 % of trade by size and 70 % at value. Shipping movement in Indian ports increased to 819.22 million tons in the 2014 fiscal year, an increase of 4.45 % annually.

To close the gap, India launches a series of initiatives: a spice container shipping line, which is a coastal green freight corridor (Kandla -Tuticorin), investments worth 100 rupees in the internal waterways, and 150 major projects under the supervision of the Ministry of Ports by September 2025. Sagarmala has been launched.