Sweden and India have strengthened their collaboration in maritime innovation, sustainable industry, and renewable energy through the official visit of Sara Modig, State Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, Ebba Busch, Ministry for Climate and Enterprise.
The visit coincided with Sweden’s first-ever participation in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways’ India Maritime Week 2025. A Swedish business delegation comprising Candela, Echandia, Berg Propulsion, APOCCA, and Trelleborg Group took part in the event to explore cooperation opportunities in shipbuilding, port operations, and sustainable maritime technologies.
Sweden, which has one of Europe’s longest coastlines and conducts about 90 percent of its trade by sea, has built strong expertise across maritime applications such as automation, electrification, material handling, predictive maintenance, digitalisation, and artificial intelligence. The country’s maritime ecosystem extends to logistics, transshipment hubs, equipment manufacturing, and services for inland waterways and water metro systems.
During the Mumbai leg of the visit, Modig participated in a business roundtable with Shantanu Thakur, Minister of State, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India, and representatives of Indian and Swedish industry. Discussions focused on port modernisation, disruptive shipping technologies, and collaboration on sustainable maritime infrastructure. The delegation also toured the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) in Navi Mumbai, India’s premier container port, to observe ongoing digitalisation and efficiency initiatives.
“Ms. Sara Modig’s presence marks a new chapter in the Sweden–India partnership, built on mutual respect, technological collaboration, and a shared commitment to carbon neutrality,” said Sven Östberg, Consul General of Sweden in Mumbai. “From industry-leading shipping solutions to inclusive growth in maritime industries, the conversations held during this visit reflect our joint ambition to drive climate-smart development and create resilient, future-ready ecosystems.”
At India Maritime Week, Östberg also delivered the opening remarks at the Sweden Country Session, which brought together stakeholders from both nations to identify collaboration opportunities in ports and shipping and to support India’s ongoing port modernisation programme.
Following her engagements in Mumbai, Modig travelled to New Delhi, where she met Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma, Minister of State, and Sandeep Poundrik, Secretary, Ministry of Steel, to advance cooperation in sustainable industrial development and green steel technologies. She also held discussions with officials from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to explore partnerships in clean energy transitions.
The Swedish delegation included Trade Commissioner Sofia Högman from Business Sweden Asia-Pacific and Science Counsellor Cecilia Tall from the Office of Science and Innovation, New Delhi. Modig is also scheduled to meet representatives of Swedish brands such as H & M, IKEA, and Kappahl, along with the Fashion Design Council of India, to discuss initiatives in circular fashion and responsible sourcing.
Sweden’s technological expertise, combined with India’s market scale and industrial capacity, is expected to accelerate innovation and establish new sustainability benchmarks across the maritime, clean energy, and green manufacturing sectors.
