2nd BIMSTEC Ports Conclave

Context: India hosted the 2nd BIMSTEC Ports Conclave in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh on 14-15 July 2025.

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: About BIMSTEC and BIMSTEC Ports Conclave.

BIMSTEC Ports Conclave

India hosted the 2nd BIMSTEC Ports Conclave in Visakhapatnam.
Organised recently by Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA).
Aim: To operationalise the recently signed BIMSTEC Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation (AMTC), facilitate dialogue on port-led development, and foster deeper integration in maritime trade, logistics, cruise tourism, and skill development.
Theme: Navigating the Future- Blue Economy, Innovation and Sustainable Partnerships.

Member countries pushed for greater collaboration between the members of the grouping.

In line with India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, the participants were in agreement on the need for deeper BIMSTEC collaboration in port-led growth, digital integration, and skill development to unlock regional prosperity.

Call to make the BIMSTEC maritime economy more innovative and inclusive. Despite the grouping’s 1.7 billion population and a combined GDP of $4.5 trillion, its intra-regional trade stands at just 7%, as against 25% in the ASEAN maritime zone.
Industry and government representatives called for:
- Unifying digital port platforms for seamless tracking and trade
- Creation of a regional skill certification framework for maritime professionals
- Promotion of coastal shipping and cruise tourism circuits to boost connectivity and culture.
The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways urged the member countries to ratify and implement the recently inked BIMSTEC Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation (AMTC).

BIMSTEC Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation (AMTC):

AMTC was signed during the 6th BIMSTEC Summit held in Bangkok, Thailand (April 2025).
The agreement seeks to facilitate dialogue on port-led development and foster greater integration of maritime trade, logistics, cruise tourism, and skill development.

The conclave also hammered out key initiatives, including :

Regional collaboration through the Kaladan corridor linking northeast India with Myanmar,
A BIMSTEC cruise tourism circuit.
Launch of a real-time maritime dashboard for regional project tracking.
Leveraging public-private partnerships to build world-class port and logistics infrastructure.

Strategic Connectivity Boost: Strengthens multimodal links like the Kaladan project, enhancing access to India’s Northeast and deepening India-ASEAN connectivity.
Maritime Trade & Blue Economy: Supports India's SAGAR vision by fostering regional maritime trade, cruise tourism, and port-led development.
Geopolitical Leverage: Enhances India’s leadership role in the Bay of Bengal amidst growing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific.
Digital and Skill Diplomacy: Promotes digital port integration and regional skilling, aligning with India’s push for innovation and capacity-building in neighbourhood diplomacy.

BIMSTEC stands for Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation.
Established: 1997 through Bangkok Declaration.
Members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand.
Objective: To promote regional cooperation in areas like trade, technology, transport, energy, tourism, fisheries, and security.
Permanent Secretariat: Dhaka, Bangladesh
BIMSTEC constitutes a unique link between South and South-East Asia, with:
- five members from South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka)
- two from South-East Asia (Myanmar and Thailand).