Shipping Corporation of India had started fortnightly India-Myanmar cargo service in October 2014 linking the South and East coasts of India, which reaches Yangon via Krishnapatnam. This service is operated with financial assistance from the Ministry of External Affairs.
The Government of India has signed an Agreement on Coastal Shipping with Government of Bangladesh on June 6, 2015 to promote coastal movement of goods between the two countries.
Another MoU has been signed by the Government of India with the Government of Sri Lanka for operating ferry services between Tuticorin and Colombo, between Rameswaram and Talaimannar and any other places as mutually agreed upon by the two nations.
An Inter-Governmental Agreement on International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) was signed among the Government of India, Russia and Iran on 12.9.2000 with the following objectives:
- To increase effectiveness of transport ties to organise goods and passenger transport,
- Promotion of access to International market, assistance in increasing the volume of transport,
- Providing safety of goods,
- Security of travel as well as environmental protection as per international standards,
- Harmonisation of transport policies and setting up non discriminative policies for seamless movement.
It is a multi-modal trade transport network that includes strategic rail, road, and water transport connecting India with Central Asian and Eurasia Countries.