Opinion | Why The Great Nicobar Project Matters More Than Ever

By recognising Great Nicobar’s potential and advancing its development, the Modi government has taken a key step to strengthen India’s long-term security and economic resilience.

In an increasingly volatile geopolitical environment, nations are rediscovering the importance of geography. Strategic locations that were once overlooked are now emerging as decisive assets in the contest for economic and military influence. The ongoing Israel-Iran war has once again demonstrated how fragile global supply chains can become when key maritime routes are threatened.

Against this backdrop, India’s ambitious Great Nicobar development project, including a strategic airport and transshipment hub close to the Malacca shipping route, stands out as one of the most forward-looking initiatives of the Modi government.

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Conceived under his leadership, the project is not merely an infrastructure initiative but a long-term strategic investment that could transform India’s maritime and security posture in the Indo-Pacific. At a time when supply chains are being repeatedly disrupted by conflict and great-power competition, the importance of India nurturing such strategic assets has never been clearer.

The Great Nicobar project aims to transform India’s southernmost island into a major logistics and strategic hub. It includes a deep-water international container transshipment port, a greenfield international airport capable of handling both civilian and military operations, along with supporting infrastructure such as power facilities and a township to sustain economic activity.

The true strength of the project lies in its location. Great Nicobar sits very close to the Strait of Malacca, one of the busiest maritime corridors in the world. This narrow waterway links the Indian Ocean to the Pacific and carries a massive share of global trade, including large volumes of oil shipments headed towards East Asia. From a strategic perspective, the island lies only about forty nautical miles from the main shipping route that passes through the strait. Such proximity gives India a powerful vantage point over one of the most critical sea lanes of communication in the world.

Infrastructure developed in this location would allow India to monitor maritime traffic far more effectively, provide logistics support to ships and aircraft, and maintain a stronger naval presence in the eastern Indian Ocean. For decades, countries like Singapore have benefited enormously from their position along these trade routes. The Great Nicobar project offers India the opportunity to harness similar advantages and become a major maritime logistics player in its own right.

Lessons from the Israel-Iran Conflict

Recent global events have starkly illustrated the vulnerability of supply chains. The Russia-Ukraine war disrupted energy flows across Europe, attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have threatened international trade, and the escalating confrontation between Israel and Iran has further heightened concerns about the security of maritime chokepoints.

When such conflicts intensify, critical shipping corridors can quickly become pressure points in global trade. Insurance costs for shipping surge, freight rates climb, and the ripple effects are felt across economies thousands of miles away. For a country like India, whose economy depends heavily on maritime trade and energy imports, the stability of these sea routes is of paramount importance.

In this context, the strengthening of India’s strategic presence near the Malacca Strait becomes not just desirable but essential. The Great Nicobar project provides India with the infrastructure needed to monitor shipping lanes, support naval operations, and protect the maritime arteries that sustain its economic growth.

Modi Government’s Strategic Vision

The project reflects a broader strategic vision of the Modi government — one that recognises the Indo-Pacific as the centre of global geopolitics in the twenty-first century. For decades after independence, India’s island territories were underdeveloped despite their immense strategic potential. Policymakers acknowledged their importance, but the necessary investments and infrastructure never materialised.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has begun to take a far more proactive approach. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands already host India’s only tri-service command, underscoring their strategic importance. The Great Nicobar project builds on this foundation by creating a powerful maritime and aviation hub that strengthens India’s operational reach across the eastern Indian Ocean.

A major component of the project is the proposed container transshipment port at Galathea Bay. Its natural depth makes it capable of accommodating some of the world’s largest cargo vessels. At present, a significant portion of India’s cargo is transshipped through foreign ports such as Singapore or Colombo. Developing a domestic transshipment hub would reduce this dependence, lower logistics costs, and improve India’s trade competitiveness.

The proposed airport will also serve a dual purpose. While it will boost civilian connectivity and economic activity in the region, it will simultaneously function as a strategic airbase capable of supporting military operations and maritime surveillance across the Indo-Pacific.

A Contrast with the Congress Era

The importance of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has long been recognised by defence planners. Yet successive governments, particularly those led by the Indian National Congress, failed to translate this understanding into concrete action. For decades, India’s island territories remained relatively neglected from both economic and strategic perspectives. Infrastructure development was limited, and large-scale investments that could have transformed these islands into maritime hubs were repeatedly delayed. This reflected a broader pattern of strategic hesitancy that often characterised India’s national security approach during those years.

Meanwhile, other countries were rapidly strengthening their maritime infrastructure and expanding their strategic footprints across the Indo-Pacific. Ports, logistics hubs, and naval facilities were being developed across Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean region.

The Modi government’s decision to push forward the Great Nicobar project represents a decisive shift from that earlier inertia. By recognising the long-term strategic value of the island and committing to its development, the government has demonstrated a willingness to think several decades ahead.

Economic Promise Alongside Strategic Power

While the strategic importance of the project is undeniable, its economic potential is equally significant. The creation of a world-class transshipment hub could transform India’s role in global maritime logistics. A substantial share of cargo currently handled by foreign ports could instead pass through an Indian facility located close to one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

The port is expected to handle millions of containers annually once fully developed, placing India among the major maritime logistics hubs in Asia. Alongside this, the project is likely to stimulate tourism, trade, and infrastructure development in the Andaman and Nicobar region, which has historically remained economically isolated.

Such development would bring employment opportunities and new economic activity to a remote region while simultaneously strengthening India’s maritime economy.

A Strategic Investment for the Future

Large infrastructure projects of national importance inevitably face scrutiny and debate, particularly when they involve ecologically sensitive regions or significant financial commitments. However, history repeatedly shows that countries willing to invest early in strategic infrastructure often gain long-term advantages.

Singapore’s transformation into a global shipping hub and Dubai’s rise as a logistics powerhouse were both the result of visionary investments made decades earlier. The Great Nicobar project represents a similar opportunity for India. As global trade patterns evolve and geopolitical tensions continue to shape maritime routes, the island could emerge as one of the most valuable strategic assets in the Indo-Pacific.

The turbulence currently gripping global geopolitics — from conflicts in West Asia to intensifying great-power rivalry — has reaffirmed a fundamental truth: geography still shapes power. Nations that recognise the strategic value of key locations and invest in them early are better prepared to navigate an uncertain world.

By recognising the immense potential of Great Nicobar and pushing forward its development, the Modi government has taken an important step towards strengthening India’s long-term security and economic resilience. In an era when supply chains can be disrupted overnight and maritime chokepoints can become flashpoints of geopolitical tension, such foresight may prove invaluable in the decades ahead.

(The writer is a national spokesperson of the BJP and an acclaimed author. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.)

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