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DP World adds 2,500 TEU vessel to grow India coastal shipping

DP World Indus will support cargo movement across 14 Indian ports

Last updated: July 07, 2026 | 12:59

Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor

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DP World Indus

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Dubai: DP World has expanded its India coastal shipping network with the acquisition of DP World Indus, a container vessel with capacity of more than 2,500 TEUs, giving exporters, manufacturers and cargo owners another route to move goods between key Indian ports.

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The vessel will support domestic coastal trade across India and strengthen DP World’s Shipping Solutions business, which currently operates a coastal network spanning 14 ports in the country.

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The company said the new vessel will help move more cargo by sea, easing pressure on road networks and giving businesses a more dependable alternative to long-haul land transport.

"India's coastal shipping sector presents a significant opportunity to improve supply chain efficiency and support sustainable economic growth," said Ganesh Raj, Global Chief Operating Officer, Marine Services, DP World. "And the acquisition of India-flagged DP World Indus, reflects our commitment to strengthening domestic maritime connectivity and providing customers with reliable, high-quality services that connect businesses and markets across the country."

India coastal network grows

DP World’s coastal shipping business in India has a dedicated fleet of 10 vessels. In 2025, it handled more than 473,000 TEUs through coastal shipping operations.

The addition of DP World Indus comes as India looks to expand maritime transport under its Maritime Vision 2030, with coastal shipping seen as a way to improve cargo movement, reduce emissions and connect major manufacturing, industrial and consumption centres.

The vessel’s maiden call at Jeddah South Container Terminal, which is operated by DP World, also links the company’s marine services arm more closely with its ports business.

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Coastal shipping is expected to play a larger role in India’s multimodal transport network, particularly for businesses trying to manage logistics costs and improve delivery reliability across long distances.

India maritime push

DP World said the acquisition forms part of its wider strategy to invest in India’s trade and logistics ecosystem through maritime infrastructure, ports, logistics services and supply chain solutions.

The company’s report on India’s ship registry set out recommendations covering governance reform, commercial incentives, international outreach and green transition initiatives. DP World said those measures can help position the Indian flag as a more competitive and trusted platform for maritime activity.

DP World’s Shipping Solutions business also signed an agreement last year with Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited, a Government of India enterprise under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, to develop and scale sustainable coastal and shortsea shipping services across the country.

Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, covering aviation, financial markets and commodities. A business and financial journalist with a strong interest in multimedia storytelling, she regularly takes complex financial and economic subjects beyond the written word, producing explainer videos that make them easier for a wider audience to understand. Nivetha has interviewed senior policymakers, business leaders and global financial figures both on and off camera. Her past guests include UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, a member of the House of Saud and the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund and Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu. She has also hosted and moderated panels, conferences and awards shows, bringing her newsroom experience to live conversations on business, finance and the economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha is drawn to stories that affect people directly and to reporting that gives a platform to voices that might otherwise go unheard. She was among the first journalists to speak to Petrofac employees in the UAE about unpaid salaries, broke the news of the planned demolition of Dubai’s well-known “Toyota Building”, and helped set the record straight on widely circulated claims that a giant replica of the Moon was coming to Dubai. More recently, her exclusive interview with EDGE Group CEO Hamad Al Marar revealed how the UAE-based defence group deployed its systems along the country’s shore border and established a geofence around the UAE within 48 hours of the February 28 escalation. Prior to joining Gulf News, Nivetha worked at ITP Media, where she helped launch Finance Middle East, a new publication covering the region’s financial sector. Her role spanned reporting and editing, video production, interviews and events. Across print, digital, and video, she focuses on finding the people behind business stories and explaining why those stories matter to the audience reading or watching them.

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