Shipping industry plays a significant role in the Indian economy as 95% of India’s international trade by volume and 70% by value are seaborne. The fleet strength by the end of December 2007 was 850 vessels, with 9.03 million Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT), of which overseas shipping accounted for 90.11% of the total capacity in terms of Gross Tonnage. According to the Planning Commission, Indian Shipping Industry’s gross tonnage capacity will be increased up to 15 million GT (As per 3rd target) by the end of Eleventh Five Year Plan (2012) with an estimated investment of Rs. 800 billion.

KEY FINDINGS & HIGHLIGHTS
• India has one of the largest merchant shipping fleet among the developing countries and is ranked 20th in the world. The fleet strength by the end of December, 2007 was 850 vessels, with 9.03 million Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT).
• The coastline of India is punctuated with 12 major ports: Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin, Ennore, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Kandla, Mormugao, Mumbai, New Mangalore, Paradip, Tuticorin and Vishakhapatnam.
• All major ports together have handled total 519.16 million tonnes of cargo in 2007-08, registering growth of 11.94% as compared to 463.77 million tonnes during 2006-07.
• The Shipping Corporation of India Limited (SCI) is the largest shipping company in India with a significant presence on the global maritime map. It is the country’s premier shipping line owning 79 vessels, with 2.73 million GRT and 4.76 million DWT as on December 31, 2007 and has a share of about 30.2% of the total Indian tonnage.
• India’s total cargo traffic by all ports is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.96% during 2007-08 to 2011-12, out of which non-major ports would grow at a CAGR of 12.58% and major ports would grow at a CAGR of 10.32%.

REASONS TO BUY
• Provides information on industry structure with reference to global logistics industry, brief on intermediaries, market dynamics and cost structure, growth drivers, major issues and challenges, major players, regulatory issues and outlook.
• The report is useful to logistics players for updating their industry knowledge; industry analysts to make use of statistics and other important facts and issues about marine logistics; foreign industry research houses and students enrolled in specialized curriculum in logistics.