E-Samudra launched as India Accelerates Digital Transformation of Maritime Governance

On 8 August 2026, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways launched E‑Samudra, a single‑window digital platform that integrates services for seafarers, shipping companies, ports and other maritime stakeholders. The platform, inaugurated by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, aims to make maritime governance simpler, more transparent and stakeholder‑centric through end‑to‑end workflows, online payments, real‑time tracking and digitally issued certificates. Alongside E‑Samudra, the Directorate General of Maritime Administration showcased e‑NAVIK grievance redressal, a Seafarer Tracking Dashboard, the digital Seafarers Employment Agreement (d‑SEA) and welfare measures under the Seafarers Welfare Fund Society. The ministry highlighted that India’s seafarer workforce grew from about 1.03 lakh in 2013 to over 3.23 lakh in 2025, and that DGMA coordinated the repatriation of more than 4,000 stranded Indian seafarers amid global shipping disruptions.