Cyprus Firms to Invest INR 10,000 Cr in Indian Maritime Sector, Marking Historic FDI Milestone

Interorient Navigation Co Ltd and Danship & Partners Ltd, both Cyprus-based entities, have together announced a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of INR 10,000 crore for the Indian shipping sector. The FDI is marked as the largest ever in the Indian shipping sector since this sector was opened to 100 percent FDI in the year 2005. This comes after Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi’s state visit to Cyprus earlier in June, marking the first ever state visit to Cyprus by an Indian PM in over two decades.

During the visit, the Indian PM held formal discussions with the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and discussed a range of topics, including strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the maritime domain. This historic investment proposal closely aligns with the roadmap of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, contributing to a broader maritime infrastructure development under initiatives such as ‘Maritime India Vision – 2030’ and ‘SagarMala’.

This imminent FDI in India will contribute, among other things, the following in broader Indian national interest:

All the ships under this investment will be registered under the Indian flag, adding saliently to India’s national shipping tonnage.
Provide large employment for Indian cadets, trainees, and seafarers.
The freight earned for carriage of Indian EXIM (export-import) trade will remain in the Indian economy.
Contribute to India’s economic security.
Make value-added contributions to India’s journey towards becoming the third largest economy in the world over the next few years.

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