The Bay of Bengal stands at a crossroads—rich in opportunity yet vulnerable to environmental and geopolitical risks. A blue economy and green future offer a path toward sustainable growth, regional unity, and resilience.

One Bay, One Vision, One Mission, invoked recently at the 2^nd BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal) Ports Conclave held on 14–15 July 2025 in Visakhapatnam, portrays India’s growing leadership in promoting regional cooperation and fostering sustainable development within the Bay of Bengal’s maritime domain.

At the centre of it all is the Bay, a shared space that holds together the dreams, challenges, and strategies of the region. To plan better for its future, we need to understand the Bay in all its layers — economic, geographic, ecological, and geopolitical.

The Bay is a vital lifeline and central to trade, fishing, energy, and livelihoods for over 1.8 billion people that it connects across South and Southeast Asia. Economically, it hosts some of the busiest ports like Chennai, Chittagong, and Colombo, and is an anchor to critical trade routes, fishing hubs, shipping, tourism, and offshore energy.

Geographically, it is as diverse as the people of its littorals, with mountains, deltas, islands, megacities, and mangroves. Ecologically, it is one of the most biologically rich zones in the world, and home to several endangered species and critical habitats.

From the lens of geopolitics, it is a stage for growing regional competition, and BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) lies at the intersection of strategic interests and security risks.

Given the different layers and contours of the Bay, it is essential to manage this shared space, its risks, and the opportunities it presents. Through various action plans, initiatives, and institutions, India has been actively steering BIMSTEC with proactive leadership to manage risks and make use of the untapped potential of the Bay while keeping in mind the environmental and anthropogenic effects of the same.

Notably, in early 2025, BIMSTEC members agreed to fast-track the adoption of a “Bay of Bengal Marine Spatial Planning Framework,” aimed at balancing economic use and ecological protection of marine resources.

This marks the first regional attempt to coordinate fishing zones, renewable energy sites, and biodiversity hotspots under one unified plan. Countries around the Bay need to move from reactive policy to anticipatory governance and prepare for risks before they arrive and shape regional systems that can adapt and respond.

The first step is realising that the Bay is a region in itself and not just a transit zone or an extension of the Indo-Pacific. It deserves its own regional vision, governance mechanisms, and platforms for collaboration.

Growth must be inclusive, with a focus on ecological sustainability, local livelihoods, and resilience to climate shocks. What’s needed is long-term cooperation focused on ecological resilience, inclusive development, and coordinated policy. As the UNOSSC 2025 Global Report notes, future development cooperation must focus on “systems transformation through inclusive, digital, and green transitions”, a vision that aligns closely with what the Bay needs.

Recent developments echo this vision—India and Sri Lanka, in partnership with the International Maritime Organization, have begun designing the first “Green Shipping Corridor” in the Bay, targeting zero-emission cargo routes by 2030. This initiative is expected to set new environmental benchmarks for regional maritime trade.

Often, when we talk about ports, we think only of cargo. But a new wave of thinking must recognise that ports are also about people. The idea is to make ports dynamic spaces where trade, employment, and mobility converge. This is where the vision of a blue economy meets fisherfolk, workers, small businesses, and future generations.

This brings us to the central idea of a blue and green future. Blue economy must go beyond being just a buzzword and become more about how we think of the ocean as a space for sustainable livelihoods, clean innovation, and inclusive development.

A green future, in this context, is about protecting biodiversity, reducing the vulnerability of coastal communities, and ensuring that growth respects the ecological limits of the Bay. We must build with care and with conscience. India’s recent initiatives, such as the Harit Sagar Guidelines, the push for green ports, and interest in green shipping corridors, show that sustainability is slowly being built into policy.

Adding momentum, the Government of India announced in June 2025 a “Blue Economy Innovation Fund” worth $250 million, aimed at supporting start-ups in marine biotechnology, eco-friendly aquaculture, and coastal resilience technologies. Early recipients include projects developing biodegradable fishing gear and AI-driven ocean monitoring systems.

These are early steps, but they reflect a growing understanding that our coasts and oceans are not infinite. By integrating climate sensitivity into port planning and infrastructure development, India is beginning to redefine what maritime growth should look like.

The Bay offers opportunities in fisheries, aquaculture, marine biotechnology, tourism, renewable ocean energy, and coastal development. But growth must not repeat the mistakes of land-based models.

If ports and coastal industries are built without regard for biodiversity or community well-being, they will deepen inequality and environmental damage. This is a chance to build differently, using digital tools, clean technology, and inclusive governance as the foundation.

The Bay is shared; no one country can tackle climate stress, pollution, or maritime threats in isolation. Countries in the region face similar problems, and working together is the only way to solve them.

India’s initiatives to establish common training platforms, regional policy dialogues, and institutional mechanisms are steps toward building what the UN calls “regional public goods”, benefits that extend beyond borders.

In line with this, BIMSTEC launched a new Regional Ocean Data and Forecasting Centre in Dhaka in August 2025, providing real-time information on weather, tides, and marine health to all member states, improving disaster preparedness and sustainable fisheries management.

Strengthening regional cooperation is vital for building a safer, more resilient, and sustainable Bay of Bengal. BIMSTEC can serve as a key platform for aligning environmental standards, sharing data, and coordinating disaster responses.

What is now required is consistent, collective action grounded in shared responsibility to move from fragmented efforts to strategic alignment. In a world facing rising geopolitical and supply chain risks, the Bay can offer a model of sustainable growth, regional integration, and people-centered development that can advance a future that is both blue and green.